Crossover II: Evalius
by AriaRose7
Summary: Sequel to Crossover. As Aria digs into Myrtle's past, she finds that her fairy tale world is not as pure and innocent as it appears to be.
1. Chapter 1 Back to a Normal Life

_Chapter 1_

_Back To a Normal Life_

Aria lay on her bed, starring up at the ceiling for what seemed like hours. Seeing a crack of sunlight peering throw her window blinds, she could tell it was now morning. Soon her mother would be in to awaken her.

Sure enough, moments later, Aria heard a light tapping.

"Aria?" Elizabeth called softly.

"I'm awake," Aria answered solemnly.

Elizabeth opened the door and walked in, switching on the bedroom lights.

With a sigh she asked her daughter, "So how long do you think you slept this time?"

"Oh, I don't know," Aria, answered still gazing up at the ceiling. "Maybe three hours."

Ever since she was kidnapped and taken to the tower to await true love's kiss, Aria has had trouble sleeping. Waking up in a dragon-guarded tower in another world seemed to make her afraid to fall into a deep sleep. Who knows where she might find herself next. Aria missed the days where she could easily sleep for twelve hours straight without even having to get up and use the restroom. Now, she was lucky if she got two to three hours or even fell asleep at all.

"Did you try out your new sleep mask?" asked Elizabeth.

"Yeah, it must have fallen off in the middle of the night."

Aria rummaged threw her messed up covers until she found the mask under her pillow. The light pink sleep mask contained the words, 'Sleeping Beauty' in fine cursive. Aria smiled as she held it. Derek seemed to think it would make a cute gift. Aria couldn't help but wonder what kind of store he was shopping in to find something like this in the first place. She didn't ask.

"You know, Aria," Elizabeth spoke to her daughter with concern. "We may need to consider taking you to the doctor so he can prescribe you something to help you sleep. You can't keep functioning on only a couple hours of sleep each night. It's not good for you."

"You think taking me to the doctor is a good idea, Mom?" Aria sat up in bed to look at her mother. "Don't you think they might notice something different about me?"

Elizabeth smiled. "You're still a human being, sweetie. You just happened to be born in a different dimension, that's all." She paused to think for a moment. "Unless, maybe it would be better if you got something to help you sleep from Galatia. They might have a potion or something that would be more effective than anything here."

"Yeah, maybe." Aria replied without much interest as she got out of bed and went over to the closet to pick out something to wear.

"Its something you can ask Adora when she picks you up after school."

Aria paused for a moment, feeling her heart pound harder. "Wait, is today Friday?"

"Yes, Aria." Elizabeth looked even more concerned. "You know you go to Galatia every other weekend and you didn't go last weekend so…"

Aria sighed. "It's not that, it's just… I have a history test today."

"Oh. Well, I'm sure you will be okay. Did you study at all?"

Aria shook her head morbidly. "I completely forgot about it." She then looked at her mother with pleading eyes. "Could I stay home today?"

Elizabeth just looked at Aria with exasperation. "What do you think the answer to that is going to be?"

Aria sighed looking down. "You were going to let me miss school on my birthday, remember?"

"That was only because we knew your life was in danger."

"Does social life count?" Aria grumbled. "If I am the only one who does poorly on the test, everyone will think I am stupid."

Her mother just turned around and responded with, "I'm sure you'll be fine on the test. Now, just get ready for school. Vanessa will be here soon."

Once again Aria sighed as she finished getting dressed. She took a moment to be thankful she no longer had to spend ten minutes each morning brushing her hair. On her last visit to Galatia, Aria had asked Freya if she could take away the gift of long hair so she could get a haircut. Freya explained that once a gift was bestowed it could not be undone. She was, however, able to improve the gift by making it so Aria's hair would not tangle. That saved her a great deal of time in getting ready to school.

Aria happened to finish getting ready early today. She knew it would be at least five more minutes before Vanessa would show up to walk to school.

As she walked around her average sized bedroom with purple painted walls, Aria couldn't help but feel out of place. Even though she had grown up in this house, lately it has felt especially strange to be here. Then again, being at her palace in Galatia felt even stranger. Even though it has been a month since she's known, Aria still has not come to terms with the fact that she's really a princess. She supposed she would never actually feel like royalty as long as she went to Sheerwood High. The unofficial title of 'queen' in the school remained in the possession of Kendal Lewis.

Aria opened the top right drawer to her dresser. In it, she hid the shoebox, which contained Myrtle's wand. Examining the wand, Aria wondered if there was some way she could use it to make herself smarter, but she has not been bold enough to try out it's magic. No one had knowledge that Aria held possession of this wand. After her fight with Myrtle, Aria told Adora that she destroyed it so the evil fairy would never be able to use it's magic again. If Adora or any of the other fairies found out the truth, Aria knew they would be displeased.

To be honest, Aria did not know why she held on to this magical devise, especially since she has never used it. She had no idea whether the wand itself contained evil magic, or if it was merely neutral and at the command of its owner. For a reason even she was unsure of, Aria wanted to find out.

The doorbell rang. Aria grabbed her backpack, rushed down the stairs, bid her parents farewell, and opened the door to greet her best friend.

"Hey!" Vanessa greeted then noticed her friend's tired expression. "Didn't sleep much again?"

Aria shook her head and replied, "Not only that, but I just remembered the history test today."

"Oh, right!" Vanessa slammed her hand against her forehead. "I am so going to fail that. Walter even refused to help me with the homework."

"Well, you did ask him for answers, Vanessa. You know he won't do that."

Vanessa only rolled her eyes. "It would have been helpful. Anyway, let's not talk about schoolwork anymore. It's too stressful." Vanessa let out a frustrated sigh, and then asked, "Hey, did Derek ask you out to homecoming yet?"

Aria shook her head looking down as they walked. "No. Not yet."

"He's better get moving. The dance is in less than a month."

"Maybe I should ask him," Aria considered aloud. "Or do you think that would be weird?"

Vanessa thought about this and answered, "No, some girls do it. I heard Lacey was the one that asked Matt to the dance. Maybe you should try asking him."

Aria did not know if she had the courage to do this. Oddly enough, she was brave enough to take on a fire-breathing dragon, but she had trouble bringing herself to ask out a guy that she liked. This happened to be another thing Aria had a difficult time adjusting to, the fact that she actually liked Derek James. Considering her feelings towards him at the beginning of the year, this seemed almost as unreal as Galatia.

As the two girls approached the school building, they found the usual crowd of popular kids, including Derek, Ian, Kendal, Lacey, and Karin, sitting on the front steps, chatting. Instead of throwing out some lame insult to Aria as he use to, Derek got up and greeted them, carrying a football, the moment they were in sight.

"Hey, how's it going?" Derek asked, while turning around to throw the football back to Ian.

"Fine," the girls replied in unison but without much enthusiasm.

Aria noticed Kendal roll her eyes as she saw Derek with them before turning back around to talk to her friends. Even since Derek and Aria started dating, or at least what Aria thought was dating, her social status has improved, which did not please Kendal at all. She decided the best way to handle it was to ignore Aria completely, which Aria did not have a problem with.

"So do you want to do something this weekend?" Derek asked Aria as they walked in the building.

Aria looked up to him apologetically, "I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going to Galatia for the weekend. Adora's picking me up right after school."

Derek shrugged with indifference. "It's cool. We can hang out another time."

Aria couldn't help but feel concerned that Derek was not more bothered by this. Did he not care enough or was he just not interested in spending time with her? She supposed she could be over thinking this.

Vanessa gave her a look, which encouraged Aria to say, "I know I've been going there a lot lately, but I'm sure I will be here on homecoming weekend so…"

"Hey, Aria," Derek interrupted. "I told Ian I'd help him study for the history test during homeroom so I better go now. See you later!"

"See you," Aria answered as Derek rushed off, and then turned to Vanessa. "You saw that, right? Every time I mention the dance, he gets like that. I don't think he wants to go with me."

Vanessa frowned. "That doesn't make sense. He obviously likes you or he wouldn't keep hanging out with you or say talk to you during school. Plus the whole rescuing you from the dragon-guarded tower does prove that he does have feelings for you. Maybe he's just nervous."

"Vanessa, don't talk about that here!" Aria hushed.

"Don't talk about what?" a voice came from behind them.

"Hey, Walter!" Aria greeted while Vanessa just smiled without much enthusiasm.

"So what are you not suppose to talk about?" He looked over to Vanessa. "You haven't figured out a way to cheat on the history test have you?"

"I wish," Vanessa muttered.

"No, we actually just talking about homecoming," Aria answered quickly, as the three of them walked into their classroom and sat in their usual places, waiting for Mr. Stone to begin the morning announcements.

Before Aria knew it homeroom had gone by as well as Latin. Now, it was time for the much dreaded history test. As Aria, walked into the room, she spotted Ian and sat beside him.

"Where's Derek?" Aria asked as Ian had his textbook out for last minute study.

"He's getting a drink," Ian replied looking up at her. "Are you ready for this? I'm sure not. There are just too many battles and dates and stuff we have to memorize. It's impossible!"

"Yeah, I'm having trouble with it too," Aria, answered while opening her own textbook to review the chapter on the Civil War.

Once the test was given, it did not seem too bad. Aria felt as though she answered at least half of them with certainty, and since it was multiple choice, she had a chance of getting the others right. All seemed to go okay, until Aria got to the last page which read, 'Name all the presidents of the United States.'

The first thing Aria did was check to see if this was a bonus question, which it was not. She couldn't believe this. Mr. Mosby never said anything about memorizing the presidents.

_Okay, Aria, you can do this,_ She thought to herself trying to encourage confidence. She began by writing to ones she knew in order, and stopped after the first five. She then recalled Jackson, even thought she knew he wasn't until at least seven. Aria then couldn't remember anymore between Jackson and Lincoln. By the time she finished, Aria looked at her test in despair as she only named a little over half of the presidents.

The bell rang and everyone got up to turn in their tests.

"So how many presidents did you get?" Derek asked as they turned in the test.

"Twenty seven," Aria responded glumly. "What about you?"

"Forty," Derek answered proudly. "I wonder which ones I forgot. That's going to bug me the rest of the day."

Ian came up behind them. "Don't worry Aria, I beat him for you."

Derek raised his eyebrow. "Oh, yeah, how many did you get?"

"Fifty two," Ian answered with a grin.

Both Derek and Aria just starred at him.

Derek finally said, "Dude, there's only been forty four presidents including the one we have now."

"Oh," Ian sighed. "I wonder how many of those people I put down were actually president?"

"We'll find out when we get them back next week," Derek said without much worry.

"Great," Aria chimed in sarcastically.

"Oh, come on," Derek assured her. "You never do as bad as you think you will."

"That's not very reassuring."

The rest of the day dragged by slowly. By lunchtime, Aria could not wait to go to Galatia. With the day she was having, Aria had a feeling she might be tempted just to go ahead and live there for good.


	2. Chapter 2 A Visit To Galatia

_Chapter 2_

_A Visit To Galatia_

Aria's heart leapt with joy as she discovered Adora waiting for in the parking lot after school. She desperately felt as though she needed a getaway and going to another world seemed like the perfect place.

"Why hello, Princess," Adora greeted her quietly as Aria approached her.

"Shh!" Aria hushed putting her hand up. "Don't call me princess here, Adora! Someone might hear you."

"Of course!" Adora beamed. "And they'll most likely assume you're the princess Sleeping Beauty born in another world and sent to live here."

Aria rolled her eyes but still grinned. "No. They'll probably just wonder, why i that strange lady is calling that average teenage girl, Princess."

"You are anything but average, Aria," the fairy spoke blissfully.

"In this world I am."

Still beaming, Adora shook her head. "Nonsense, now get in the car."

Aria eyed the ocean blue convertible with curiosity. "Since when do you drive?"

Adora sighed. "Verna says while I'm here I should try my best to use as little magic as possible. After all, magic is not apart of this world. Verna believes something could go wrong or it may cause unexpected problems if I use magic too much."

Aria frowned as she opened the car door and sat down in the front seat. "You've used magic here before and nothing bad happened."

"Yes, well, that's Verna for you, always overly cautious about matters such as this. She believes everything and everyone should be in its proper place. Different worlds such as this one and our world should not mix together, or even different lands in out world like Galatia and Evalius."

"What's Evalius?" Aria asked turning her head to look at Adora.

Adora breathed in, realizing that she had spoken too much. "Oh, its just another far away land in our world, nothing for you to concern yourself with. Once you're queen, all you will need to worry about is Galatia."

Aria could tell that Adora was intentionally withholding information from her so she asked, "Shouldn't I be familiar with neighboring lands?"

Adora shifted around in her seat as she drove. "No, it's not necessary. No one ever goes over there. Like Verna says, its best we each just stay in our own land. Do you know what I mean?"

_Not really, _Aria thought, but only nodded not seeing much of a point in pressing this matter any further. Maybe a different fairy tale story currently operated in Evalius and her going there would disrupt it or something. Aria supposed it was possible that Rapunzel or Cinderella lived there, but it still did not explain why Adora would be so secretive about this place. After all, Aria was already familiar with most fairy tale stories. She did not see how knowing which story took place in this other land would do anyone any harm.

They arrived at that same empty building at the end of the main road in downtown Norfolk. Adora did end up having to use her magic to get inside the building. Aria went first into the fountain. Since she has done this many times, Aria had grown accustomed to the feeling of getting jerked down by the fountain and then shot right back up by the lake. Sure, it was uncomfortable, but it did not bother her anymore.

Aria remembered the first time she did this. When she got out of the lake, she immediately felt the urge to dry herself off. Now, Aria became use to the fact that she would still be dry as she got out of this enchanted lake. This time, Aria noticed at carriage parked beside the lake. It reminded her of the carriage from Cinderella with its pearl white color and rounded shape.

"Ah, it appears your parents sent us a ride," Adora said cheerfully as she arrived behind Aria. "How thoughtful of them."

As the carriage arrived at the Galatian castle Aria was greeted warmly by her parents. Aria saw that the other three fairies were there as well, waiting to welcome her.

"It's so wonderful to have you back, my daughter," Queen Gretel declared as she embraced Aria.

"It's good to be back," Aria responded with a smile as she returned her mother's embrace.

Aria had a great weekend. She spent most of it playing music with Thelma, the fairy responsible for this gift. After Adora's gift, which saved her life, Thelma'a gift of music was Aria's second favorite. It seemed to be the only thing she was truly good at in high school.

The time spent in Galatia went by too fast. The next thing Aria knew, it was time to go back home since the next day, she had school.

"Princess Aria, are you ready?" Adora stood by the door to Aria's chambers.

Aria smiled. "Almost. By the way, I told you, you can just call be Aria."

"I would, but Verna constantly reminds me that while we're here, its more appropriate I address you formally."

"Has she always been that strict and formal?" Aria asked as she finished her packing.

"At least as long as I've been one of the fairies," Adora replied with a grin.

Aria recalled something. "Before you joined, Myrtle was one of the fairies, right?"

"Yes, she was," Adora responded with a hint of concern. "Why do you ask?"

Aria considered her words carefully. "I guess I was just wondering how someone goes from a gift-granting fairy to an evil witch."

"I told you this before, dear. She started practicing dark magic and then became evil. Its as simple as that."

"Is that what Verna told you?" Aria asked, remembering that Myrtle became evil before Adora became a fairy.

Adora changed the subject. "We really should be leaving. By the way, your parents, the king and queen, wanted one final word with you before you leave. We should go to them right now."

Aria nodded giving up her interrogation about Myrtle. She made sure she packed all her homework. After all, it would be difficult to explain to her teachers that she left her homework in another dimension.

Adora lead Aria to the great hall, where the king and queen waited for her.

"Aria," King Richard began. "Before you leave, there is one more important matter we wish to discuss with you."

_This doesn't sound too good_, Aria though, but remained silent.

He continued, "I know things are different where you come from, but its just that here most girls your age, especially princesses, are married or at least betrothed to someone."

_Definitely not good._

"Now, I understand you have that boy that rescued you from the tower, correct?" the king asked her.

Aria nodded, weary of where this conversation was going.

"Have you two talked about the possibility of marriage?"

Aria shook her head. _I can't even get him to commit to taking me to the freaking dance._

Adora chimed in, "Your Majesty, you must consider what I told you about her world. Love works quite differently."

King Richard brushed his hand casually in the air. "Yes, yes, Adora, I understand that. It's just that the people here will grow concerned if their princess remains unwed."

Aria began to feel dizzy.

Queen Gretel then spoke, "Aria, what your father and I were thinking is having a ball here at the castle. That way it will at least look like we are trying to find someone for you. By no means, do you actually have to choose a mate."

"A ball?" Aria asked. "I suppose I could do that. I really don't have to actually pick someone?"

"Of course not, darling," Queen Gretel assured while King Richard nodded. "But who knows. You may feel a special connection with someone that you don't feel with this Derek fellow. We only ask that you attend and give the other potential suitors a chance."

"When will this ball be?" Aria asked.

"The final weekend of this month," answered King Richard.

Aria's heart sank. That's the same weekend as the Homecoming dance.

The queen noticed Aria's expression. "Is something wrong, darling?"

"Well, its just that in my world we have a dance at that same time," Aria explained.

"I see," Queen Gretel commented. "And will you be attending with Sir Derek?"

Normally Aria would have thought Derek being referred to as _Sir Derek_ quite amusing, but now she felt to awkward to even notice.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure," Aria replied looking down.

"You're not sure?" The king looked puzzled. "Is this dance going to happen?"

"Yes, the dance will definitely occur," Aria assured. "I'm just not sure if I'm going with, um, _Sir_ Derek."

"You mean he did not ask you to it?" the queen then inquired. "Do young men in your world ask their ladies out to these dances?"

_Ian asked Kendal,_ Aria thought glumly, but only nodded in response.

"Hmm." King Richard thought for a moment then declared, "Aria, I'm going to be honest with you. I don't think this boy you are currently with is appropriate for a princess. I think you should come to this ball and see if you can find a better match."

Aria did not know what to say. Aside from the Homecoming dance, she could not come up with a reason not to go to the ball. It would have been so much better if Derek had just gone ahead and asked her out. Now, she had no choice but to do as her parents asked. When Aria returned to Norfolk, she had a feeling she would be the one trying to avoid the topic of Homecoming.


	3. Chapter 3 Deceit

_Chapter 3_

_Deceit_

_And they lived happily ever after._ Aria read this line to herself over and over from her old fairy tale book, _Sleeping Beauty._ She felt as though she had starred at it all morning. Is this her happily ever after? After slaying the dragon and defeating Myrtle in battle, Aria felt as though she had been ripped off like buying something off an infomercial only to find that the product did not function as well as it appeared on television.

"Aria?" Elizabeth called. "Are you almost ready? Vanessa should be here any minute now."

"I'm coming," Aria responded as she grabbed her school bag and walked down stairs.

Sure enough, at that moment the doorbell rang. Aria peered out to window to see Vanessa right outside the front door. She bade her mother farewell and went outside to greet her best friend.

After the two exchanged greetings, Vanessa asked, "So what was it you wanted to tell me?"

Aria recalled last night once she got home she sent Vanessa a text saying she had something important she needed to tell her. She then went on to explain everything about the ball and how she could not go to the dance.

"Wow, that does suck," Vanessa commented. "Maybe you could ask Derek to take you to the ball instead."

Aria sighed as the two continued to walk up the street. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. After all, this ball is about me possibly choosing someone to marry. I don't want Derek to feel like he has to propose to me or anything."

"I thought you said you didn't have to actually select someone to marry."

"I know, but it's just that the idea of marriage is too much and Derek seems to have a difficult time with commitment. You claim he still likes me but he can't even bring himself to ask me to the dance."

"It seems like he's not the only one with commitment issues," Vanessa pointed out.

Aria sighed. "I suppose you're right. I guess I just don't want rush things with Derek. I mean I fell for Edmund way too fast and we both know how that turned out."

"That was completely different, Aria. Edmund was just using his charm to manipulate you." Vanessa paused for a moment then added, "Look, I think you and Derek just need to talk. Just be honest with him."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Aria replied as the two girls arrived at Sheerwood High.

Aria spotted Derek along with the rest of the popular kids sitting in their usual place, the steps right in front of the school. The moment Derek saw Aria he got up and walked over to her and Vanessa.

"Hey, what's up?" He greeted both of them and then looked at Aria. "Um, can I talk to you in private for a second?"

Aria nodded and Vanessa waved goodbye and headed inside the building.

Derek fidgeted a bit nervously before saying, "Look, I know this is a little late, but about the Homecoming Dance, I was wondering if…"

"Derek, wait," Aria interrupted, holding up her hand. "I'm really sorry. I know you probably wanted to ask me to the dance, but the thing is, I actually can't go."

"Oh." Derek voice seemed disappointed. "You can't go at all? Why not?"

Before Aria could stop herself these words came out, "It's my mother's birthday that day, and it would really mean a lot to her if I was there. I'm so sorry."

Derek looked confused. "When you say your mother, you mean the queen?"

"Shhh!" Aria hushed holding her finger to her lips. "Not too loud, and yes, I do mean the queen. It's just that I've been with her on her birthday so…"

Derek nodded, understanding. "It's okay. You should be with your mom. I guess we still have prom in the spring."

"Yeah, we do," Aria agreed, hoping there would be no balls on that day and maybe if her parents saw that she and Derek were still together, they would be more accepting of their relationship. "Thanks for understanding, Derek. I guess we should probably go to homeroom before the bell rings."

Without another word, the two of them walked together to homeroom. Derek then went to sit next to Ian, while Aria headed over to Walter and Vanessa, who were apparently having an argument.

"I told you, Vanessa. I'm not going to just give you the answers."

"It's just a lousy homework assignment!" Vanessa protested. "I'm not asking you to help me cheat on the test! I just need to memorize as many answers as I can from the homework and hopefully I will pass the test."

"The biology test!" Aria remembered as she sat down in the desk in front of Vanessa. "That's this week, isn't it?"

Vanessa nodded. "Yes, and my brother, Aaron, said this is Mrs. Steven's hardest test. More than half of his class failed!"

"You're more likely to do well if you pay attention in her class and take notes," Walter pointed out.

"I do pay attention!" Vanessa snapped, ignoring his comment about the note taking. "It's just too much information to remember. Not everyone is a genius, Walter! You're really not going to help me?"

Walter sighed with exasperation. "I can help you study, Vanessa. Just bring your text book to lunch today and we can start then."

"I don't have my textbook," Vanessa said, looking down at her desk.

Walter eyed her. "Did you lose it?"

"I don't know. It's just gone. I don't remember when I last had it."

"We can share mine," Aria suggested. "Then you can come over after school and study with me. The only thing is I have band practice today so it will have to be after that."

Vanessa let out a frustrated sigh but nodded.

"Class, please quiet down," Mr. Stone's dull voice came from the front of the classroom.

"Man, when is Mrs. Norbert coming back?" Vanessa complained in a whisper. "I don't think I've stayed awake in English since he started substituting."

Aria shrugged unsure of how long maternity leaves usually last. Mrs. Norbert, their English teacher, recently had her baby and while she was on leave, the class remained with Mr. Stone, otherwise known as the man who can put caffeine to sleep. Aria supposed she should just be grateful that at least Ms. Malone, to her known as Myrtle, was not their substitute anymore. After all, Mr. Stone was never a threat to her life.

Yawning, Aria did not know whether it was due to her lack of sleep or just listening to Mr. Stone's voice, but either way she felt incredibly sleepy. Her tiredness continued throughout Latin class and now in History.

Derek, noticing his girlfriend's eyes drifting suggested, "Hey, if you want to take a nap, I'll tell you what you missed."

Aria smiled but said, "I can't sleep during class."

Derek shrugged. "Why not? Ian does it all the time, and usually either Kendal or I have to tell him what he missed in class."

"I don't think I could fall asleep if I tried."

"Don't worry," Derek teased with a grin. "If you fall into a deep sleep, I'll just kiss you and you'll wake right back up."

Aria smiled, but before she could say anything, Mr. Mosby started the class. After he finished with the lecture, he passed back last week's test. To Aria's surprise, she managed to barely pull off a B.

"See, I told you, you'd do alright," Derek said to Aria as he saw her grade. "And you always think you're going to fail."

Aria smiled relieved. "I bet you got an A."

Derek grinned. "Well, I'm not one to boast, but yeah. Besides, it doesn't really matter. It's only history. Honestly, I really don't see much point in studying the past."

"What a second this can't be right," Ian interrupted staring at his test. "Ben Franklin was president, right? Why did Mr. Mosby mark that wrong?"

"Dude, Ben Franklin was not president," Derek told Ian.

"Sure he was," Ian protested. "We talked about him a lot when we were on the chapter about the revolution."

"I think he just played a big role in the revolution, that's all," Aria added trying to sound comforting. "I almost put him down on my list of presidents too."

xXx

In Biology, Aria recalled what Vanessa told her about this next test so she tried to best to pay attention to Mrs. Steven's lecture and actually take notes. Even at her best effort, Aria could barely concentrate. Every few seconds, she found herself yawning. Maybe she should have taken her mother's advice about getting some sort of sleep remedy.

The rest of the day did not improve much. During lunch, Vanessa and Walter continued to argue over the biology test. It was the same sort of argument they would always have before a test. Walter would tell Vanessa that she was not trying hard enough and Vanessa in return would accuse him of calling her stupid even though he never said anything of the sort. This time, Aria did not contribute much to the conversation. Instead she mostly yawned, too tired to play mediator to her friends, yet again.

In gym they played basketball. Aria decided to go with her most effective strategy, to touch the ball as little as little as possible. That seemed to get her threw the period without much trouble. She still did not understand why she was more coordinated in Galatia than she was here.

The next thing Aria knew, she was back in Mr. Stone's classroom, only this time for English.

"Oh, man!" Aria heard Ian grown as she sat next to Derek. "We're still doing grammar? It's been over three weeks! Why can't we do something more interesting?"

Aria silently agreed with him. Just hearing a lecture solely on grammar was already dull enough as it is, but Mr. Stone somehow managed to make it even more boring. Today, Mr. Stone wrote sentences on the board and while holding the class attendance sheet he randomly called on students to answer his questions

"Miss Lewis," he began pointing at a certain part of the sentence he wrote. "What do you call this phrase at the end of the sentence?"

"A preposition," Kendal answered in a bored voice, her head resting on her hand as she returned her gaze to the window.

"Correct." Mr. Stone did not even bother to turn away from the board as he continued, "Miss Rosenberg, what punctuation is missing at this point in the sentence?"

"Um," Aria stared at the sentence break, unsure. She supposed it could be a comma.

"Semicolon," Derek whispered.

Aria mouthed thank you before repeating his answer out loud, which happened to be right. She then felt a twinge of guilt about lying to him about the ball. After all, Derek has been incredibly nice to her since they started dating, not to mention there was that thing Vanessa said about honesty.

"Mr. Harris," Mr. Stone continued to call on students. "What does the word, 'or,' function as in this sentence?"

Aria glances at Ian to see that he had fallen sound asleep. Kendal looked at him, rolled her eyes, and then turned her head back to the window.

"Mr. Harris?"

Derek put his hand in front of his mouth and answered, "Conjunction."

"Thank you, Mr. Harris." Mr. Stone continued to write as Aria shot a grin in Derek's direction.

The class was then dismissed but not before Mr. Stone assigned them several pages of grammar homework, which resulted in a grown from the entire class. In Band practice, Aria still did not feel very awake. She kept nearly missing her cue for her solo. After practice, Mr. Spooner pulled her aside and lectured her about getting plenty of rest and making sure she was prepared for the winter concert. Aria only nodded before leaving.

Wanting to catch up with Walter, Aria walked down the school hallway behind a boy with spiky blonde hair she assumed was he. As she got closer, she found that the boy she followed was actually taller than Walter. He still seemed oddly familiar to her. As the boy turned to briefly face Aria, her heart pounded heavily as she saw whom it was, Edmund.


	4. Chapter 4 Hallucination?

_Chapter 4_

_Hallucination?_

Vanessa trudged down the school hall, making her way to the library. Since she did not know where she textbook was at the moment, she figured she could use the one at the library at least until Aria's band practice ended.

As Vanessa entered the library, she approached the desk where the librarian sat. "Excuse me, Ms., umm…" she paused, unable to remember the woman's name. This was after all, her first visit to the library.

The librarian looked up. "Yes?"

"I need to check out the biology textbook."

The librarian looked at her sternly. "We don't allow students to take textbooks home. You will have to use it here."

"That's fine," Vanessa replied. This woman's face reeked of strictness.

"Which text book do you need?" the woman asked.

"Biology," Vanessa repeated impatiently.

"We have several biology textbooks, dear. Which one is your class using?"

"I don't know."

"Who is your teacher?" Now, the librarian was the one that sounded impatient.

"Mrs. Stevens."

"You'll need the 10th edition then. I'm afraid I already have a student using that textbook."

As the librarian pointed to the tables in the center, Vanessa saw Ian Harris, sitting alone at one of them with the textbook she needed. She sighed, telling the librarian she would come back another time.

Just as she was about to exit, Ian called out, "Hey, Cooper. We can share if you want."

"Um, sure." Vanessa could not think of a reason not to. After all, their best friends were dating. That kind of gave them a connection, but Ian also currently dates the girl Vanessa despises more than anyone, Kendal Lewis.

The librarian did not seem pleased by this arrangement but only said, "Just make sure you two keep quiet if you are going to do that."

Vanessa just nodded as she sat down next to Ian, who quietly commented, "Man, what a grouch."

Vanessa sighed. "I'd probably be that way too if I worked in a library. Could you imagine a duller job?"

Ian laughed and then suggested, "How about Mr. Stone's teaching assistant?"

Vanessa giggled and added, "Yeah, I did not know the true meaning of boring until I met Mr. Stone. I don't think I've stayed awake in English since he took over."

"Me neither. Derek told me he had to answer a question for me today since I was out."

"Now, that's a good friend," Vanessa pointed out. "Walter would never do that for me. He keeps saying that I would feel better about myself if I figured it out on my own."

"At least he's nice about it," Ian commented, leaning back in his chair, fiddling with his pen. "Kendal is a bit more blunt on the matter. She couldn't believe I thought Ben Franklin was president on the last History test."

"I put Franklin on my list too!" Vanessa said a bit too loud which resulted in a 'shh' from the librarian. She then added more softly, "Its just that his name was mentioned a lot so it seemed like he was important enough to be president. Walter just told me if I paid better attention in class, I'd know he wasn't."

"Yeah, Kendal just called me dumbass, or at least, she may as well have," Ian said solemnly. "She also said if I get kicked off the football team because I don't pass biology, it's over."

"Would that really be a bad thing?" Vanessa commented. "I honestly don't see how you can stand her. I could barely put up with her when we were friends and that was when she was nicer."

"She's not so bad when it's just the two of us," Ian defended and then pointed out, "Besides you seem to have similar complaints about Walter and you're still with him."

"Yeah I suppose," Vanessa sighed as she too, leaned back, until the meaning of Ian's words hit her. "Wait a second, Walter and I are not dating! We're just friends."

"Oh." Ian paused for a moment. "It just kind of seems like it with the way you two are around each other. I think you guys would be good together."

Vanessa snorted. "Yeah right."

Ian laughed at her reaction and pointed out, "That was exactly Derek's attitude when I first suggested that he liked Aria. Now look at them."

Vanessa frowned, still disagreeing. "Walter and I would not be good together. He'd probably want to be with someone, well for one thing, smarter, and someone who does not taker their anger out on him before every test."

"He'd get use to the anger thing." He winked at her. "Trust me, I know."

"IAN!" Kendal's furious voice came from the entrance to the library. Fortunately for her, the librarian was on break. "What are you doing in here with her?"

"Calm down, Kendal. We're just studying for the biology. You're the one that said if I didn't pass, we're over."

"I didn't mean it, Ian!" Kendal continued to fume. "And I didn't intend for you to start hanging out with her. Now, lets go!"

"Fine." Ian grabbed his backpack and muttered to Vanessa, "Later."

As Ian walked out of the library, Kendal cold eyes moved to Vanessa. "Look, I don't know what you're trying to do here, but he's mine. Just because Aria somehow managed to snag a football player doesn't me you can too."

"Oh my god, Kendal." Vanessa sounded both angry and exasperated. "I'm not trying to steel Ian. Not everything is about you!"

Kendal continued to glare at her. "If you try anything again, I will make your life a living hell."

"Oooh, I'm scared," Vanessa replied sarcastically as she pretended to shake in fear. 

Kendal turned around and stormed out, brushing by Aria as she made her exit. As Vanessa rolled her eyes about Kendal she noticed her friend looked anxious about something.

"There you are!" Aria breathed heavily as she rushed over to Vanessa.

"I know. This is the last place you would expect to find me," Vanessa said as she gathered her books in her backpack. "So what's wrong?"

"It's Edmund. He's back!" Aria panted.

Vanessa's eyes widened. "You mean he's here, in the school? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I just saw him!" Aria persisted as she made her way to the exit.

Vanessa followed Aria out of the library as the two searched the entire building for Edmund. As it turned out, he was nowhere to be found.

"I know I saw him." Aria continued to search with determination.

"Are you sure it wasn't just a hallucination?" Vanessa asked looking doubtful.

"Yes," Aria affirmed. "He was walking in front of me and just as he was about to turn at this corner he looked at me, smiled and continued on. By the time I got to the corner, he was gone."

Now Vanessa seemed even less convinced. "Aria, you know when people don't get enough sleep, there're more likely to hallucinate."

"I know what I saw, Vanessa!" Aria snapped, slamming her hand against her head in frustration.

"Hey, what are you two doing?"

The girls turned around to see Mr. Turner, their geometry teacher, standing behind them, with a stern look on his face.

"Um, we were just about to leave," Vanessa told him.

"I swear," Mr. Turner commented. "Most students can't wait to leave this place and here you two are hanging around. I don't mean you have to go, but if you're going to stay please just be quieter. I have a student retaking a test."

"Yes, sir," Aria and Vanessa replied in unison.

Having found no sign of Edmund, Aria began to accept that it might have just been her imagination. After all, over the past few weeks she did lose quite a bit of sleep. The girls walked back to Aria's house, dreading their study session for the biology test.

"I could call Walter and see if he wants to come over and help us study," Aria suggested as they turned on their home street.

"I don't know," Vanessa replied with her head hanging low. "I kind of snapped at him during lunch. He might still be mad at me."

Aria shrugged. "He knows you always get like that before a major test. Though this is the first time you've shown some remorse." Aria then teased, "You must be growing as a person, Vanessa."

Vanessa laughed. "Yeah, my guilty conscious is finally developing at age fifteen. That's not a good sign."

Now, both of them giggled before Aria then asked again, "So should I call him?"

Trying not to think about what Ian said to her in the library, Vanessa merely offered a shrug. "Sure."

xXx

The next day started off as a normal day. On her way to homeroom, Aria briefly scanned the hallway for Edmund but did not see him. She decided best just let it go. Due to her lack of sleep, it was indeed possible she could have been hallucinating.

After briefly talking with Derek, she met up with Walter and Vanessa, who were surprisingly having a normal conversation rather than an argument. Last night, Walter did come over and the three of them had a pretty good study session. There were a couple moments when Vanessa seemed as though she may snap out of frustration, but she did manage to keep it together.

As Aria sat down in her usual desk, she noticed something strange. Mr. Stone was not there. Aria frowned. He has never before been late or absent for any reason.

Vanessa seemed to notice the same thing as she asked out loud, "Do you think Mrs. Norbert is coming back today?"

"I wouldn't think so," answered Walter. "Maternity leaves usually last longer than this."

"Oh no." Aria's heart began to beat more rapidly in fear. "What if Myr… Ms. Malone comes back?"

"I don't see why she would," Vanessa commented, not going into further detail since Walter was there.

"How come you don't want her to come back?" Walter asked Aria curiously. "You both are always complaining about how dull Mr. Stone is."

"Well, um because," Aria tried to think. "She gave me my first detention, remember?"

Before Walter had a chance to say anything more, Principal Whiteman entered the classroom.

He made the announcement that Aria dreaded. "Class, Mr. Stone has resigned from teaching. You have a new substitute."


	5. Chapter 5 Mr Evans

_Chapter 5_

_Mr. Evans_

"Class, this is Mr. Evans," Principal Whiteman announced. "He will be taking over until Mrs. Norbert returns."

At the same time, both Aria and Vanessa breathed a sigh of relief. Aria looked over across the room and noticed Derek had a similar reaction. As Mr. Evans entered the classroom the first thing Aria, along with every other girl in the room, noticed was how incredibly good looking this man appeared. With his brunette wavy hair that came down to his shoulders, his well-trimmed goatee, and his tall muscular figure this man seemed to be the very definition of tall, dark and handsome. As Aria noticed how girls in her class reacted with their eyes gazing at this new teacher, she grew uncomfortable. She recalled this being the exact same effect Edmund had on the girls when he first came to Sheerwood.

"Hello, ladies," Mr. Evans smiled revealing his sparkling teeth. Some of the girls looked as though they may faint. "And gentleman," he added as an afterthought. "How are you doing today?"

The class murmured a brief 'fine' as the girls continued to gawk at Mr. Evans in admiration. Aria shifted in her seat with discomfort while looking over to Vanessa who appeared apprehensive as well. Though she felt unsure whether or not Mr. Evans was actually from Galatia, Aria could at least be certain that he was not from Nebraska. He spoke with an accent Aria guessed to be some sort of European. Mr. Evans did affirm that he was from out of town in his introduction, but he did not specify where, just like Myrtle when she was here.

At the end of homeroom, Mr. Evans ended with, "Well class, I'm sorry our time has been cut short, but I do look forward to getting to know all you fine young ladies… and gentlemen throughout the day in my English class."

Aria walked out pondering over this mysterious man. She recalled when Edmund first came to Sheerwood, he paid no attention to anyone except for her. Myrtle was the same way when she came disguised as Ms. Malone. She, too, took special interest in Aria but none of the other students. Mr. Evans, on the other hand, did not signal Aria out from her classmates. This made her feel slightly better about him. Perhaps Mr. Evans was simply a foreigner, an incredibly handsome one, who decided to come to Nebraska and be a teacher. Still, she planned to observe him carefully during English.

On the way to her fifth period Biology class, Aria met up with Vanessa in the hallway to they could discuss this new substitute.

After Aria finished explaining her concerns she ended with, "Well, if this man was someone from you know where, he focus most of his interest on me, don't you think?"

"Yeah, he seemed interested in all the girls in the class," Vanessa pointed out with a shiver. "He kind of gave me the creeps."

"Maybe he was just being friendly," Aria suggested feeling less worried after talking aloud about Mr. Evans. "He's obviously foreign and the girls in our grade go crazy over a cute guy that shows up in the school, even if it is a teacher."

"Hey Cooper!"

The two turned to see Ian passing them in the hallway.

"Oh, hi Ian," Vanessa replied with a smile.

"So are you ready for the Biology test?" Ian asked.

Vanessa's face went white. "What? I thought that was tomorrow!"

"It is tomorrow," Aria confirmed as both Vanessa and Ian let out a sigh of relief. "I remember Mrs. Stevens saying Wednesday."

"That's a relief," Ian commented returning his glance to Vanessa. "So maybe since we have the extra time, do you want to meet in the library again after school and study? It helps having someone to study with and both Derek and Kendal are busy."

Vanessa grinned. "Last time we didn't actually get any studying done, but sure. We can meet there after school."

"Ian!" Once again, Vanessa heard Kendal demanding furious voice shout at her boyfriend.

"I better go," Ian muttered. "See you later."

As Ian approached his angry girlfriend, she demanded, "What did I say about talking to her?"

"What's the big deal, Kendal?" Ian asked, exasperated. "I just need someone to study with. That's all."

"Just go in the classroom!" Kendal ordered as she stormed over to Vanessa and Aria, glaring at Vanessa. "I told you not to talk to Ian. He's mine!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize Ian was your property," Vanessa retorted sarcastically. "I must have had him confused with an actual human being."

"Just stay away from him, Vanessa, or else!" Kendal warned before turning back and heading to Mrs. Steven's room.

Vanessa let out an angry huff. "God, what a bitch."

"Vanessa!" Aria exclaimed, appalled at her friend's language. "She could have heard you!"

"I don't care." Vanessa folded her arms. "She can't just go around telling people what to do."

Though Aria agreed with Vanessa's statement, she still said, "Remember what you told me at the beginning of the year about not letting Kendal get to me or worrying about what she thinks? Well, I think you should consider the same thing right now."

"That was different, Aria," Vanessa replied firmly. "That was about a party Kendal was having. In that case, she can invite whomever she wants. It's her thing. She cannot, however, tell me who I can or can't talk to."

Aria sighed. "Vanessa, I agree with you, really I do, but unless you're into Ian or something, I really don't think this feud with Kendal will be worth it."

Without another word, the two girls entered their biology and sat down at their lab table with Walter. Aria pondered briefly over what just happened. Does Vanessa really like Ian? They do have some things in common. They both love playing sports and despise academics though at the moment, that was all Aria could think of as far as their similarities go. She wondered if Ian believes in astrology or random superstitions like Vanessa does. Aria smiled as she recalled how ridiculous Vanessa sounded when she implied that Ms. Fleming was some sort of vampire. Compared to the truth, that suddenly did not seem quite so ludicrous.

"Well, class," Mrs. Stevens wrapped up. "Good luck studying for the test. Please come to class tomorrow, prepared. If you have any further questions about the material, please come see me today after school."

_Oh crap, _Aria thought to herself miserably, her head hanging low. _I just daydreamed throughout the entire review!_

As Aria sat down with Vanessa and Walter at lunch, she did not feel even slightly surprised at their raised voices.

"What am I supposed to do?" Vanessa stammered with anxiety. "The test is tomorrow and we barely covered half of the material last night, and I can only remember half of that!"

"You just need to relax, Vanessa," Walter replied more calmly. "If you spend a decent amount of time studying tonight, I'm sure you will do fine."

Vanessa just shook her head. "No, there has to be another way."

Walter raised his eyebrow. "You're not going to try and cheat somehow, are you?"

Vanessa just sighed. "No, I can't think of a way how. I was thinking more like a good luck ritual or something."

Now it was Walter's turn to let out a sigh. "You should know by now, that stuff never works. If you just actually study the material, you'll do fine."

"I'm not like you, Walter!" Vanessa protested. "I can't just read something and memorize it. I'm just too dumb."

"No, what's dumb is turning to silly superstitions and expecting them to help you pass a test," Walter stated firmly.

"I knew it!" Vanessa stood up in fury. "You do think I'm stupid."

"You know that's not what I said, Vanessa," Walter protested in annoyance.

"Whatever, Walter. I'm out of here." With that Vanessa stormed off leaving Walter and Aria at the lunch table alone.

Walter turned to Aria in exasperation. "You heard that, right? I did not once actually call her stupid."

Aria sighed. "You know how stressed out she gets before a major test. She'll be back to normal once it's over."

"I suppose I should be use to it by now," Walter muttered.

Aria just smiled at him as she gazed around the cafeteria. Her smile transformed into a frown when she spotted Vanessa talking with Ian. The two of then laughed, apparently enjoying each other's company.

"What's wrong?" Walter inquired, observing Aria's concerned expression.

Aria went on to explain the confrontation Vanessa had with Kendal before biology class.

"I don't think it's anything to concern yourself with," Walter responded, trying not to show too much emotion. "Despite what Kendal may think, she really can't control who her boyfriend can or can't talk to. Besides, Kendal's not even here now."

"Yeah, but do you think Vanessa might actually like Ian?" Aria asked even though she knew Walter preferred not to engage in gossip.

Walter only answered, "Perhaps. They do have some things in common."

As Walter said this, Aria could have sworn she saw a flash of jealously in his eyes. She figured she must have imagined this. After all, the other day, she did hallucinate Edmund. Aria sighed. She desperately needed to get a good night sleep.

On her way to English, Aria met up with Derek and asked where Kendal was at lunch.

"Oh, she stayed behind in homeroom to show him a poem she wrote," Derek answered, indifferently. "And he really liked it so he asked her to have lunch with him so they could discuss it."

That seemed rather strange to Aria. Students at Sheerwood never ate lunch with teachers unless that particular student got into some sort of trouble. That day in English class, things only got weirder.

"Welcome, seventh period English," Mr. Evans began then added, "Miss Lewis, it is very nice to finally have you in my class."

Aria saw a smile flash across Kendal's face, which was indeed rare. What could possibly be going on between the two of them? Aria shot Derek a concerned look, but he did not seem to be paying attention. Ian, on the other hand, appeared slightly distressed, possibly even angry.

Mr. Evans continued, "Today, we will talk about the values of youth. Tell me, why is it that most people desire to remain young?"

Immediately, Kendal raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Lewis?"

"Well, for one thing, your body functions much more efficiently when you're young. If I were an old, I would be unable to do any of the cheerleading moves I can do right now," Kendal responded and then added with a shudder, "Not the mention I would have grey hair and wrinkly skin. Ew!"

"Very good, Miss Lewis!" Mr. Evans winked at her, smiling. "And would you do anything in order to remain young and well, beautiful?"

At that moment, Aria raised her hand, while all the other girls in the classroom just appeared jealous that Kendal seemed to have Mr. Evans' undivided attention.

"Yes, Miss, um…"

"Rosenberg," Aria finished for him. "I was just wondering what exactly you mean by _anything_."

Barely glancing at her, Mr. Evans responded, "The question stands for itself, Miss Rosenberg. I do indeed mean _anything_." He then returned his gaze to Kendal while Aria let out a brief shiver. "So, Miss Lewis, would you do anything to be forever young?"

"Well, um." Kendal seemed unsure how to best answer this. Fortunately for her, the bell rang at that moment and class ended.

Mr. Evans then walked up to Kendal's desk. "Miss Lewis, I really enjoyed our conversation today at lunch. Would you care to stay here after class and talk some more? I'll be sure to write a note excusing you from your next class."

"Um, sure," Kendal responded, shyly, though Aria picked up a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Why is he only interested in _her_?" Aria heard Karin Wales mutter quite bitterly, her eyes filled with jealously.

Aria noticed most of the other girls in the class had similar reactions. However, she herself felt only discomfort for a reason she could not explain. Why did Mr. Evans seem so interested in Kendal? It just did not add up. If he were from Galatia, like Myrtle, would he not focus all his attention on Aria, just as Myrtle did? Perhaps he did not know her name, and figured that the princess was probably the prettiest girl in the classroom.

_Wait a minute,_ Aria then thought. _I don't even know for sure that this man is from Galatia and looking for me. He could just be some foreign pervert._

Still, Aria planned to keep a close eye on both Mr. Evans and Kendal. However, Aria found this to be impossible for Mr. Evans, just like Myrtle, was gone the very next day.


	6. Chapter 6 Disappearance

_Chapter 6_

_Disappearance _

Instead of hanging out in her usual place on the front steps of Sheerwood, Kendal anxiously rushed into the building anxious to see Mr. Evans again. She gleefully recalled both of their conversations during lunch and after yesterday's English class. She had shown him a poem she wrote entitled, "Fires of Hell." Normally, she would be hesitant to show something like that to a teacher, but something she could not explain told her it would be okay to show Mr. Evans and she was indeed right. Not only did he tell her she had talent, he also said she stroke him as far more mature than her classmates.

"Kendal!"

Kendal turned to find her boyfriend, Ian, rushing up to her.

She let out a sigh. "What is it, Ian?"

"Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to see if Mr. Evans is there and would like to talk some more," Kendal replied, avoiding eye contact.

Ian grabbed her arm. "Come on, Kendal this is weird. You're spending a lot of time alone with a teacher."

Kendal rolled her eyes. "What's weird about this? He just likes me. He thinks I have talent in writing."

"Well, you may be right about one thing. He does seem to like you," Ian pointed with concern. "Just not in the way you think."

Kendal jerked her arm away and glared at him. "What are you implying, Ian?"

"I'm just saying that Mr. Evans seems attracted to you."

Kendal raised her eyebrow. "Are you jealous or something? You're the one that's been hanging out with other girls! If anyone has a reason to be upset it's me!"

"If you're talking about Vanessa, all we've done together is study. I swear," Ian proclaimed earnestly.

"Hey, you two. What are you arguing about now?" Derek asked in exasperation as he approached his best friend.

Ian looked at him, and then answered, "It's about Kendal and Mr. Evans. Don't you think he seems to have a thing for her?"

"Oh my god, Ian." Kendal threw her arms up in the air. "Give it a rest!"

Derek only shrugged. "I don't know, man. He's obviously foreign. Maybe wherever he comes from, they just have a different way of talking to girls."

"Yes, thank you, Derek." Kendal then turned back to Ian. "You see, Ian. It's nothing."

Ian did not relax. He turned to his best friend. "Are you sure? The way Mr. Evans was with her didn't seem at all weird to you?"

Once again Derek shrugged. "No, not really, though Aria mentioned that it seemed kind of strange."

"So that where this is coming from!" Kendal shouted at Ian. "Aria told you this! Has it occurred to you that she might just be jealous?"

"What, no!" Ian defended shocked by this suggestion. "I didn't even talk to Aria about you and Mr. Evans."

"Will you two give it a rest?" Derek asked in exasperation. "There's no point in arguing about this anymore. Look in the classroom. He's not even there."

"What?" Kendal anxiously rushed to the homeroom entrance to observe the teacher's empty desk, even though it was almost time for class to begin. Her heart sank with disappointment. "He's gone?"

Ian walked up to Kendal and put his arm around her. "It's probably for the best. He really did seem to like you and well, nothing good can come from that. Maybe Mr. Evans was afraid he would get in trouble for it so he decided best just to leave. Don't you think, Derek?"

"Um, yeah, sure," Derek answered when he realized his friend was talking to him. To be honest, he was so relieved Mr. Evans did not seem interested in Aria he did not think much more on the matter.

Ian then turned back to Kendal. "Come on, we've got Homecoming in a few weeks to worry about and you still haven't told me what color dress you bought. I need to know what color bouquet to get you."

"Just get a white one," Kendal muttered as she continued to look around the hall and back in the classroom to see if Mr. Evans would show up. He never did.

xXx

Aria walked into her 4th period geometry class, still thinking about Mr. Evans. She was not sure whether to relief or even more concern that he disappeared. As she recalled, this was the exact same thing that happened with Myrtle. She, too, was there for just one day, only to be gone the next. Could this be a similar situation or merely a coincidence?

Aria seated herself on the empty desk beside Kendal. Even since the incident when Kendal stuck chewed gum in her hair, Aria vowed never to sit directly in front of her again.

The moment Aria sat down, Kendal looked over to her and stated, "Look, I don't know what you said to Ian about Mr. Evans, but he's been acting like a jealous maniac all morning."

"I didn't say anything to Ian," Aria protested. "He's probably just upset that a grown man was coming on to his girlfriend."

"Mr. Evans was not coming on to me!" Kendal argued, bitterness in her voice. "He was just interested in my writing, that's all."

"It looked more like flirting to me," Aria said quietly as she pulled out her geometry book.

"You're just jealous!" Kendal fumed, and then thought for a moment. "You didn't report him to Principal Whiteman, did you?"

Aria just rolled her eyes. "No, of course not! Though it is possible someone else might have."

Before Kendal had a chance to retort, Mr. Turner interjected with, "Ladies, if you don't mind, I would like begin my geometry lesson, now."

Both Aria and Kendal looked around the classroom and realized that they were the only two still talking. They both mumbled, 'sorry sir,' before turning back in their chairs to face the front of the classroom.

At her last statement, Aria felt more relieved. Certainly the most likely thing that happened with Mr. Evans was that someone reported him for flirting with Kendal thus forcing him to leave. Why didn't she think of this before? Aria figured that lack of sleep must have been just messing with her mind. She breathed another sigh of relief as she studied her biology notes, which she had hidden under her geometry book. She had to focus. After all, the big test will be the next class period.

Unfortunately, her last minute studying did not seem to help Aria much with the Biology test. Apparently, Vanessa's brother, Aaron, was not joking when he informed her that this is Mrs. Steven's most challenging test. Aria looked over at Vanessa, who was at the moment grasping her four leaf clover necklace she wore for good luck and looked as though she may collapse right there. Even Walter appeared to be struggling, which made Aria even more nervous. After answering the questions the best she could, Aria turned in the test, and for the rest of the class period, she rested her head on her desk until the bell rang.

"Boy, am I glad that's over with," Vanessa commented as she and Aria stood in line for lunch. "So how do you think you did?"

Aria sighed, "I might have passed. How about you?"

"Well, I think I knew the answers to about half the questions so that's something," Vanessa replied dully as she fingered her necklace.

Aria could not help but grin. "You don't actually believe wearing a four leaf clover necklace will bring you good luck, do you?"

Vanessa let out a sigh. "No. I suppose now it's just a habit." Her eyes then lit up. "Hey, maybe there's something in Galatia that will actually bring good luck!"

"Yeah, maybe," Aria replied less enthused.

"You should ask Adora," Vanessa persisted. "Aren't you going there this weekend?"

"No, I don't think I'll have time. We've got too much homework this weekend. At this point, I don't think I'll be able to go back to Galatia before the ball."

Vanessa huffed in disappointment as she remembered this. "You're still going to the ball instead of the Homecoming Dance?"

"I kind of have to," Aria pointed out sharing the letdown. "I already told my parents I would. I can't go back now."

"Wasn't that because Derek didn't ask you out yet? You said when you got back, Derek seemed like he was about to ask you to the dance. Why don't you just tell him you can go to the dance after all?" Vanessa suggested.

Once again, Aria let out a sigh. "I can't. You see, I actually told him I was going to Galatia for my mother's birthday that weekend. It would seem weird if I suddenly decided the dance was more important than my own mother's birthday."

Vanessa stared at her friend in shock. "You did what! Oh, Aria. Why didn't you just tell him the truth?"

"I don't know. It was kind of a spur of the moment reaction. You see this ball is about finding someone for me to possibly marry. I thought if I told him that, it would freak him out."

Vanessa raised her eyebrow. "You're not planning on picking out some other prince at the ball, are you?"

"No, of course not!" Aria assured. "I just going to tell my parents I was not attracted to any of them and hopefully they will get off my case about the whole marriage thing."

"You better hope Derek doesn't find out you're really at a ball," Vanessa warned as she returned her gaze to the cafeteria food, deciding what she wanted. "Anyway, what am I suppose to do at dance? Without you, there won't be anyone for me to talk to."

"You could hang out with Derek," Aria suggested while scooping up some mashed potatoes. "After all, since I'm not going, he won't have a date."

"He'll be hanging out with Ian who is taking Kendal to the dance. I'd rather be set on fire than be anywhere near her."

Aria thought for a moment. "You could always ask Walter to go with you."

Vanessa considered this. "Yeah, maybe. It's just that Walter's not really into this kind of thing."

"I'm sure he would go with you if you asked him nicely," Aria assured as they neared the end of the line. "Oh, first you might want to apologize for snapping at him during lunch yesterday."

Vanessa sighed. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that."

Vanessa picked up an extra brownie before she finished buying her food, planning on giving it to Walter as she apologized. The two girls then went to join him at their usual lunch table.

As Vanessa recited her usual apology and gave Walter the brownie, he sighed and replied, "You know, Vanessa, if you keep buying me sweets every time you lose your temper with me, you'll soon find yourself completely broke."

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Oh ha ha. So do you forgive me?"

Walter grinned. "Yes, I forgive you. I suppose you'll be bearable to be around at least until the final exams this semester."

"Remind me to sit at a different table then," Aria added jokingly.

The three of them spent the rest of the lunch period laughing and jesting around. Aria smiled, glad that everything seemed to be back to normal, or at least as close to normal as it could get for her.


	7. Chapter 7 Surprise

_Chapter 7_

_Surprise_

With the Homecoming dance this coming weekend, Vanessa walked down the school hallway that Monday morning, her heart pounding as she searched for Walter. She could not figure out the exact reason she felt so anxious. After all, Walter was just her friend, and they would be going to the dance as just that. So why exactly were her palms so sweaty?

"Hey Cooper, what's up?"

Vanessa turned around. "Oh hi, Ian. Not much. I'm just looking for Walter. Have you seen him?"

Ian scratched his head. "I think he's at his locker. Have you seen Derek around anywhere?"

"He's with Aria in the cafeteria," Vanessa answered.

Just as Vanessa was about to walk off Ian continued, "So I heard we're getting our biology test back today. How do you think you did?"

Vanessa sighed. "I probably failed. You?"

"Yeah, me too." Ian then paused for a moment. "So are you going to the dance this weekend? Derek told me Aria was not going for some reason."

"I'm planning on it. I'll probably just go with Walter. Aria has her mother… I mean grandmother's birthday this weekend so she has to leave town," Vanessa explained.

"Cool," Ian replied then added, "Well, I better go. Kendal is waiting for me. Wouldn't want to make her mad."

"No, we wouldn't want that," Vanessa responded dully with a hint of sarcasm in which Ian did not catch.

Vanessa stared down the hallway as Ian walked away. She could not understand how someone as friendly as Ian could be in a relationship with a girl as horrible as Kendal. He should be with someone more like…

The five-minute warning bell rang. Vanessa realized if she was going to ask Walter before school started she better hurry. She made her way to Walter's locker, finding him there gathering his books.

"Hi, Vanessa," Walter greeted as he turned his head to see her. "Where's Aria?"

"I think she's with Derek," Vanessa answered, her heart starting to pound hard once again. "Um, Walter. There's something I wanted to ask you."

Walter just sighed. "If you want to copy my history homework, the answer is no. I will, however, let you look at my notes if you like."

"No, that wasn't it," Vanessa said avoiding eye contact, then thinking about what he just said. "Though actually, can I borrow your notes? That would help a lot."

Walter nodded, handing her his history notes.

"Thanks!" Vanessa said brightly, glancing over the very detailed notes.

"Vanessa?" Walter looked at her curiously. "Wasn't there something you wanted to ask me?"

"Oh, right." Vanessa stuffed the notes in her bag, returning her gaze to Walter. "It's just that, um, I know this is kind of last minute and not your thing, but I was wondering if you, um, wanted to go to the Homecoming Dance with me?"

Walter looked taken back, not expecting to hear this. "When you say you want to go to the dance with me you mean…"

"As friends," Vanessa finished quickly. "Just as friends. It's just that as you know, Aria can't go and I wouldn't have anyone to talk to so…"

"Yes," Walter interrupted with an answer, his eyes twinkling. "Yes, I'll go to the dance with you."

Vanessa beamed, relieved. "Great!"

After a few moments, she then added, "Well, we should probably get to class. Even though we still don't have a teacher in the classroom, we might get in trouble with Principal Whiteman if he finds us out in the hall after the bell rings."

"Oh, right," Walter agreed, caught up in a momentary fantasy.

Without another word, the two walked into their homeroom classroom.

xXx

"Don't you think it's terrible the way Kendal treats Ian?" Vanessa asked Aria as they headed to biology. "I mean, she gets upset with him just for talking to me. Meanwhile, she goes around flirting with our substitute teacher."

"I never actually saw her flirt with him. It seemed like it was mostly just him with her," Aria pointed out. "Besides, Mr. Evans was only here for a day. I seriously doubt anything is still going on between them."

Vanessa eyes lit up. "I wonder what it would do to Kendal's reputation if we told everything she was still secretly seeing Mr. Evans. Surly, Ian would dump her then."

"Vanessa!" Aria looked at her appalled. "If we did that, we'd only be stooping to her level."

Vanessa sighed. "Oh, I suppose you're right. I just think Ian deserves someone better, don't you?"

Aria considered this. "Well, honestly. I think a vicious fire-breathing dragon would deserve someone nicer than Kendal, but that's really up to Ian. Maybe he sees something in her that we just don't see. She used to be not as bad, remember? Maybe when the two of them are alone, she's more like how she was back in middle school."

"Yeah maybe," Vanessa replied solemnly. "I'm just sick of the way Kendal acts like she can control everyone around her. Sometimes I wish there was a way we could take her down. You know, put her in her place."

"I'd just ignore her if I were you," Aria replied, slightly discomforted by her friend's tone. "Remember when I used to get upset about never getting invited to once of Kendal's parties? You would tell I shouldn't be concerned about what she thinks of me."

"I guess you're right, yet again," Vanessa commented glumly as the two entered their Biology classroom.

Mrs. Stevens stood up, frowning, and said, "Well class, I've finished grading your test. I'm afraid to say that only seven of you passed and the highest grade was an 85."

"No one got an A?" Walter asked, concerned.

Mrs. Stevens looked at him sternly. "No, Mr. Price. Nobody got an A. You however did get the 85. Since so many of you did not do well, I will give you the opportunity to retake the test this week, but the highest grade you will receive for the retake is a D. You can come any day after school."

She then preceded to hand back the test. Most students groaned, including Vanessa. Aria joined her classmates in moaning as she viewed her score.

"Wait, Walter," Aria asked turning in her desk to face him. "What's the lowest grade that's still passing?"

"65," Walter answered, frowning at his own test score as Vanessa just rolled her eyes at him. "That's a D. Is that what you got?"

"No." Aria sighed in disappointment, wishing she could have received intelligence as one of her gifts from the fairies. "64. One lousy point higher and I would have passed."

"That's closer to passing than me," Vanessa pointed out, unhappily. "So are you going to retake the test?"

"I don't know," Aria replied. "It seems rather pointless just to raise it up one point."

"I'd talk to Mrs. Stevens about it if I were you," Walter advised.

Aria took his suggestion and approached the teacher's desk once the lunch bell rang. She asked Mrs. Stevens whether or not she should retake the test.

"Well, Miss Rosenberg. Normally I would say don't worry about it, but your class average is hanging by a thread and it would be better for you to secure a passing grade, especially if you are involved in extra curricular activities."

Thinking about the winter concert coming up for Band, Aria nodded. She did not want to give up one of the few things she actually enjoyed about high school, not to mention Mr. Spooner would be quite upset with her since she had the solo part for one of the pieces.

The day did not improve much for Aria in gym. Today they were playing volleyball. Though Aria occasionally played with Vanessa after school, she has never grown very good at it.

"Oh, my god, Aria! Pay attention," Karin whined at her as the ball bounced right next to Aria. "We're never going to win with you on the team!"

"Sorry," Aria muttered annoyed. She used to just assume Kendal was the meanest girl at Sheerwood but recently Karin's been giving her a run for her money.

"Chill out, Karin. It's just a game," Lacey said more calmly.

Aria flashed a brief smile at Lacey. Of Kendal's friends, she was probably the most pleasant to be around.

Once gym let out, Aria met up with Derek as usual so they could walk to English together. She confided in him over her failed test grade and Karin's blowup at her during last gym class.

"Just ignore Karin," Derek consoled. "That's just the way she is. The guys on the football team nicknamed her 'Kendal Junior,' though we can't call her that when Ian around."

"Is Ian actually happy with Kendal?" Aria asked him, thinking about what Vanessa said earlier that day.

Derek shrugged. "He seems to be, more so when they are alone rather than in school. I guess its because in school, Kendal gets all wrapped up in her reputation. For some reason, that makes her act more coldly towards everyone."

"Being popular really does something to the girls at this school, doesn't it?" Aria commented remembering when Kendal used to be not quite as awful. "Why is it only the girls and the guys?"

"I suppose girls care more about their reputation than guys do," Derek offered, once again shrugging.

"Yeah, I guess," was all Aria added with her head hanging low, not wishing to think anymore about how she and Kendal use to be friends.

"Hey, cheer up." Derek put him arm around her. "The day will only get better from here. Since we still have no English teacher, that class will just be a study hall, and after that you just have Band, which you like."

Aria just sighed. "I hope the day gets better. I don't see how it could possibly get any worse."

Derek paused as they drew nearer to the entrance to their English class, his face turned white. "Oh, I think you'll find that it can."

"What is it?" Aria looked at him concerned.

Unable to speak, Derek just pointed into the English classroom. As Aria gazed in the room her heart skipped about ten beats, her body froze. The person now sitting in the teacher's desk was the very last person Aria expected or wanted to see. To her classmates she was known as Ms. Malone but to Aria, she was known as Myrtle.


	8. Chapter 8 The Return

_Chapter 8_

_The Return_

Aria started to walk into the classroom, but Derek grabbed her arm stopping her, saying, "Are you crazy, Aria? We can't go in there!"

"We can't just skip class," Aria pointed out. "Besides, she can't use magic. I have her wand."

"You have her wand?" Derek asked bewildered. "Well, that's probably what she wants."

"She's not going to get it," Aria stated firmly while pondering. "Something tells me there's a bigger reason than that."

"I wonder what that could be," Derek commented quietly.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Aria said as she entered the classroom.

Trying to show as much confidence and little fear as possible, Aria looked Myrtle right in the eye as she sat down in her usual seat with Derek beside her. Myrtle returned her gaze at Aria and smiled, smugly. This made Aria even more uncomfortable.

"Hey, you're back!" Ian commented as he entered the classroom. "After you left we got dumped with the most boring substitute and then this weird guy. Are you here for good this time?"

"I have no plans on going elsewhere anytime soon," Myrtle answered, smiling at him. "Now, if everyone is here, I would like to begin the class. Has everyone arrived?"

Aria looked around the room to see that the only person missing was Kendal, which seemed odd. Kendal has never been late to class before. She may be mean and snotty to her classmates, but she still took care to follow the school rules. Aria looked over to Myrtle, her heart pounding heavily. Was it possible that that Myrtle might have already done something to her?

A moment later, the classroom door opened and Kendal walked in, as Aria breathed a sigh of relief. Kendal appeared slightly startled to see that English once again had a teacher.

"Oh, sorry," Kendal apologized to Myrtle. "I didn't know this class had a teacher again. Mr. Mosby kept me late. Did you want me to go back and have him write a note?"

Myrtle shook her head and spoke nicely. "That won't be necessary. Just have a seat."

Kendal sat down on the other side of Ian, as Myrtle began to take roll. Aria recalled last time she did this she did not look at any of the other students except for Aria. This time, however, Myrtle seemed more interested in getting to know everyone, as she looked each person in the eye as she called his or her names.

Once the roll call was complete, Myrtle asked, "So, what were you studying with the last substitute before me?"

"Grammar," a boy answered dully since the class did not really have a chance to start a new lesson with Mr. Evans.

"Very well, then." Myrtle stood up and walked to the board. "Shall we continue with that?"

Most of the class just moaned in response. Myrtle seemed to take this into account as she walked back around and sat on the front of her desk.

"None of you seem very enthused about this lesson," Myrtle commented. "May I ask why?"

"Grammar's boring," Ian answered. "All we do is talk about sentence structure."

"I see," Myrtle said quietly while looking around the classroom. "And are all of you capable of writing in complete sentences?"

Most of the students nodded while others just shrugged.

"Well then." Myrtle clapped her hands together. "I don't see any reason to spend anymore time on grammar. What where you doing before that?"

"_Romeo and Juliet_," Kendal answered her, which was followed by more groans from the rest of the class.

"You don't seem very thrilled about this subject either," Myrtle said to them and then looked at Ian. "Is this boring to you as well?"

"Well, it's just that the play is written in old English so it's kind of hard to understand," Ian explained.

"Hmm, and do any of you speak or write in this old English," Myrtle asked the class.

Once again, most of the students shook their heads.

"Very well then. If you don't use old English anymore, I don't see any reason for you to have to read a story in it," Myrtle continued gazing around the classroom. "What shall we do in this class?"

"How about more fairy tales?" Aria muttered sarcastically.

"Ah, yes." Myrtle rose from her desk and began to walk towards Aria. "That was what we talked about last time I was here, wasn't it?" she paused for a moment. "Fairy tales, as fascinating as they may be, are also painfully predictable. How about something else?"

Kendal raised her eyebrow and asked, "Are you saying we get to decide what we want to read in this class?"

Myrtle turned her head to face Kendal. "That's exactly what I saying. You get to choose what we will read for this class."

Aria sighed. Last time Myrtle taught as a substitute her lesson that day was a clue of why she was really here. This time Aria had hoped for that same luxury but it did not appear that would happen.

"So, do any of you have any suggestions?" Myrtle asked gazing around the classroom.

Karin's eyes lit up. "Can we read _Twilight_?"

Myrtle shrugged. "Sure. I don't see why not."

Most of the girls murmured in excitement while the guys just groaned yet again.

"I see some of you are disgruntled by this," Myrtle commented observing the boys' expressions. "Can any of you gentlemen think of another novel for us to read?"

Since not a single boy could come up with a suggestion the final decision was _Twilight_. Aria looked up at Myrtle confused. What was she doing, trying to become more popular with the students? What exactly would that accomplish?

Noticing there was only three minutes left of this class period, Myrtle finished with, "Well class, before you leave today, there is one thing I would like you to do for homework. Write a poem, and then bring it to me."

"What do you want us to write about?" Kendal asked.

"I don't care," Myrtle replied. "Anything you want. I don't care about length either. It can be ten pages or it can be simply two words. It doesn't matter to me."

Ian then spoke up. "When's this poem due?"

Myrtle just shrugged. "Any day this week or next week if that works better for you."

The class looked around at one another, puzzled. Never in their years of attending school had they had such a laid back teacher. Most of them just shrugged and muttered 'cool.' Aria, on the other hand, remained apprehensive.

The bell rang and everyone rose from their desks, everyone except for Aria and Derek.

"Dude, are you coming?" Ian asked Derek. "We don't want to be late for football practice."

"Just go without me," Derek replied still looking at the teacher's desk where Myrtle sat. "I'll be there soon."

Ian shrugged and followed Kendal out of the classroom.

Derek looked over to Aria. "So what do we do now?"

Aria provided him with a simple answer. "I'm going to find out why she's here."

"Alright," Derek agreed. "Then I'm staying too."

Aria shook her head. "You should go. I can handle this."

"You actually think I'm going to leave you alone with her?" Derek demanded appalled.

"She can't do anything here," Aria assured. "Besides, I think it would be better if I talked to her alone."

"Fine," Derek agreed reluctantly. "But I'm going to wait right outside this classroom."

Aria nodded as Derek got up and left. Once everyone left the room it was just Aria and Myrtle alone. Aria starred directly at Myrtle meeting her in the eye.

"Aria," Myrtle spoke calmly while smirking at her. "Don't you have another class to be at?"

Ignoring this, Aria just asked quietly, "Why are you here, Myrtle?"

Myrtle continued to smile slyly. "You banished me from Galatia, remember? Where else was I supposed to go?"

"How about Evalius?" Aria asked recalling the name from when Adora mentioned it.

Myrtle leaned back in her chair and raised her eyebrow. "That's an interesting suggestion. What exactly do you know about Evalius?"

"Cinderella lives there?" Aria guessed.

Myrtle merely chuckled. "Clearly the other fairies have not told you much about this land."

"What is Evalius?" Aria asked curiously as she stood up from her desk.

"It's probably better you don't know. I'm sure my sister fairies just want to protect their precious princess," Myrtle jested.

Deciding not to waste any more time on this subject, Aria demanded once again, this time more boldly, "Why are you here, Myrtle?"

"I already told you, Aria. There is nowhere else for me to go."

Aria walked over closer to Myrtle's desk. "You actually expect me to believe that?"

"No, I suppose not," Myrtle commented amused while grabbing a pen and a notepad.

Aria decided to try something else. "Who's Mr. Evans?"

"Who?" Myrtle asked appearing puzzled.

"Mr. Evans," Aria repeated impatiently. "He was here as a substitute last week and he disappeared after only a day, just like you did the last time you were here."

"Interesting you should say that. I was told I would be replacing a Mr. Stone." Myrtle began to write on the notepad.

"So you really don't know who Mr. Evans is?" Aria asked again.

Myrtle sighed. "No, I really don't."

Aria stared at her deeply. Myrtle seemed sincere that she really did not know anything about Mr. Evans, but Aria still had a hard time accepting that his appearance followed shortly by his disappearance was merely a coincidence, especially now with Myrtle showing up.

"What are you writing?" Aria demanded noticing the note.

Myrtle smirked. "We've been talking for nearly fifteen minutes, Aria. I'm to understand that here when you are late to a class, you're are expected to bring a note signed by a teacher excusing you."

"I don't need that," Aria huffed in frustration as she started to walk towards the door.

"Suit yourself." Myrtle placed the note on the corner of her desk.

Giving up on her interrogation, Aria tried to think of an explanation to provide for Mr. Spooner on why she is fifteen minutes late to Band practice. When nothing came to mind Aria sighed, irritated, as and turned around and snatched the note. She then met up with Derek in the hall.

"So did you find out anything?" Derek asked concerned.

Aria shook her head.

Derek crossed his arms. "So what do we do now?"

Aria just sighed. "I don't know. I suppose I can tell the other fairies when I'm in Galatia this weekend."

Derek nodded but still appeared apprehensive. "I just hope she doesn't do anything before then."


	9. Chapter 9 Retest

_Chapter 9_

_Retest_

"I still can't believe you still have not told your parents about Myrtle," Vanessa stated flatly as she and Aria walked to school that Thursday morning.

"It would only worry them," Aria replied quietly. "Besides, it's been almost a week and Myrtle still has not done anything."

"I still think your mom and dad have the right to know that the person responsible for nearly killing their daughter is back."

"If I did that then they would probably keep me home from school."

Vanessa shrugged. "All the more reason to tell them. Its an excuse not to go to school."

"I can't just stop going to school."

"Why not. Unless there's a class that teaches us how to rule a fairy tale kingdom, you really don't need high school."

Aria had never considered this. Most people complain that in high school they only learn about stuff they will never need. In her case that was actually true. In order to rule Galatia, there would be no need for a high school diploma.

"So you're really not going to tell your parents?" Vanessa asked again looking at her friend with concern.

Aria sighed. "Not yet. I'm going to see what I can find out in Galatia this weekend about possible reasons why Myrtle might have come here. For some reason and I don't know why, I feel like she might have some sort of connection with Evalius. I just wish Adora would tell me more about that place."

Vanessa nodded in agreement. Aria had already told her everything she knew about Evalius over the phone the night before, but unfortunately that was not much.

"So did you get a dress for Homecoming yet?" Aria asked desiring a change in subject.

Vanessa shook her head. "No, I was hoping you would come with me to the mall after school to help me find one."

"I can't believe you still don't have a dress, Vanessa! The dance is in two days."

Vanessa sighed. "I know, I know. I just haven't had a chance to go shopping, not to mention I just asked my date out on Monday. So will you come with me?"

"I can't," Aria replied apologetically. "I have to retake my biology test today. Since I'm leaving for Galatia right after school tomorrow, this is my last chance."

"Looks like I'm not the only one that waits till the last minute," Vanessa jested with a grin.

"Hey, it's not my fault Mr. Spooner has kept me every day after school to work on my solo," Aria defended though she smiled.

The girls walked up to the entrance of Sheerwood High. Everyone acted normally. Only Aria, Vanessa, and Derek were aware that an evil and possibly harmful fairy walked among the building.

"So you are at least planning on telling the other fairies about Myrtle, right Aria?" Vanessa asked quietly, as they entered the building.

"You're not going to let this go until I tell someone, are you?" Aria responded with exasperation.

Vanessa shook her head and then fixated her eyes directly at Aria, "Of course I'm not going to let it go. She did try to kill you, remember? What friend wouldn't be concerned? Just promise me you will talk to someone while you're there, maybe Adora."

"Okay, okay," Aria sighed. "It just that I don't know how to explain it, but Myrtle seems different, somehow less evil than before. I just want to know the real reason she came here."

At that moment Kendal strutted by them proudly, shooting a glare at Vanessa as she passed them to meet up with Ian.

"Trust me, Aria," Vanessa stated firmly returning the glare in Kendal's direction. "People never change."

xXx

The day seemed to drag on to Aria. What made things worse is the fact that she had to stay at school even longer to retake her biology test. Since Myrtle did not seem to care whether or not she paid attention, Aria used that English class to study the notes Walter loaned her. Aria let out a sigh as she pulled out the notes. If she were not concerned about the possibility of Myrtle trying to kill her, she would actually somewhat enjoy English class now.

Once school let out, and she headed to Mrs. Stevens' classroom, Aria thought about what Vanessa said this morning about people not changing. She recalled Adora informing her that once upon a time Myrtle used to be a good fairy. Even Kendal use to be significantly more pleasant to be around back in middle school and they were friends. Aria knew what happened to Kendal. She started dating a football player and let the sudden popularity go to her head. What Aria wanted to know now was what happened to Myrtle. What could possibly make a kind gift-giving fairy turn evil?

As Aria entered the classroom, Mrs. Stevens peered at her from her desk, curiously. "Yes, Miss Rosenberg?"

"Um, I was wondering if I could retake my test today?" Aria asked quietly as she approached her teacher.

"I'm afraid I have a meeting today," Mrs. Stevens replied. "But if you want to go ahead and take the test today you can do it in another teacher's classroom."

Aria nodded eagerly since tomorrow at this time she would be leaving for Galatia. "Okay, so who's classroom should I go to?"

"I believe Ms. Malone is the only teacher still here," Mrs. Stevens answered, handing Aria the test. "You can go take it in her classroom and then drop it off on my desk when you are done."

Aria sighed. _Of course Myrtle is the only teacher here._

"Are you sure there are not any other teachers here?" Aria asked hopefully.

Mrs. Stevens eyed her suspiciously. "Is there something wrong with Ms. Malone?"

_Nothing that I can tell you,_ Aria thought bitterly but just shook her head and took the test. She then trudged grimly down the hallway and lightly rapped the door to the English classroom.

"Come in."

Aria opened the door and entered the room wearing an irritated expression across her face.

"Ah, Aria." Myrtle smiled pretentiously. "What brings you to my classroom?"

Aria held up her test, glumly. "I have to retake my Biology test in the presence of a teacher."

"I see." Myrtle continued to grin boldly. "Well, I guess in this situation I'm not the reason you're angry."

Aria continued to frown, annoyed. "Actually, I should be upset with you. It's your fault I have to retake this test in the first place."

"My fault?" Myrtle jested playfully. "Do tell."

Aria seated herself across the desk from Myrtle, roughly pulled out her pen from her bag, and vented, "If you had not showed up at my first birthday party and cursed me with death then Adora would have given me intelligence and I would be smart enough to pass this stupid test in the first place!"

"Interesting you should say that. You do realize that had I not given you death, you would have never been brought to this world in the first place," Myrtle pointed out.

Aria just grunted and looked at the first question on the test. Unable to focus, she looked up at Myrtle and asked, "Just out of curiosity, why did you curse me with death in the first place? Was it really just because my parents did not invite you to my birthday celebration?"

"I'm evil, Aria. That's what I do," Myrtle replied as she pulled out some papers to grade.

"That's it." Aria looked at her unconvinced. "I know you use to be good."

"Yes," Myrtle agreed no longer making eye contact, instead looking at the poems she graded. "And now I'm not."

"You just woke up one day and decided to be evil?"

Myrtle only answered, "You can assume that."

Despite Myrtle's apathetic responses, Aria remained persistent. "There must be more to it than that. What exactly led to you becoming evil?"

Myrtle set down the pen and stared directly at Aria inquisitively. "Why are you so interested in why I became evil? Most heroes in Galatia and similar lands just slay their villain and go on to live happily ever after."

Before Aria had a chance to respond, the door opened and Kendal marched in holding a sheet of paper.

"Oh, sorry," Kendal apologized as she noticed Aria. "I didn't realize you were busy. It's just that I'm leaving school early tomorrow to go to New York so I wanted to go ahead and turn in my poem you assigned."

"You're going to New York tomorrow?" Aria asked her curiously. "Aren't you going Homecoming this weekend?"

"I'm coming back Saturday morning," Kendal explained more civilly then she likely would have if the two of them were alone. "I'm just going there to get my dress."

Aria rolled her eyes. Only Kendal would fly to another city just to pick out her own unique Homecoming dress.

Myrtle just smiled. "Sure. I'll take it now." She paused for a moment and then added, "You're dating that Harris kid, are you not?"

Kendal nodded barely cracking a smile.

"He wrote a very nice poem about love," Myrtle commented. "I'm assuming the girl he was talking about is you."

"Really?" Kendal's eyes lit up, her smile growing. "Can I see it?"

Myrtle shuffled through the turned in poems. "Oh, wait. Actually his was about a meatball sandwich. I must be thinking of someone else."

"Oh." Kendal's face fell. "Well, I should probably go now."

Once the door close, Myrtle commented, smirking, "Actually, Ian did write a nice poem about her."

"Why would you do that?" Aria demanded, disgusted. "Do you get some sort of kick out of messing with people's heads?"

"I don't see why it bothers you." Myrtle gazed at her oddly. "I thought you didn't like that girl."

"It's just that…" Aria started to protest but then decided that it was not worth it. "Oh, never mind."

Aria picked up her pen to start answering the test questions, but then remembered something else. "Edmund."

"What about Edmund?" Myrtle asked, indifferently, as she proceeded to grade the poems.

"He was here a couple weeks ago," Aria proclaimed, dropping her pen. "I saw him. Did you send him here or is he working for someone else?"

This time, Myrtle made eye contact with Aria. "You don't seem to get it, do you?"

Aria met her eyes. "Get what?" 

"Your story is over," Myrtle explained. "As far as our fairy tale world is concerned you should be living happily ever after with your true love. That's how it's always happened before. Now, I have not seen Edmund since my last confrontation with you in the tower. If he has returned he's probably either working for someone else or he just looking for something to pass the time, like me. Either way, it is very unlikely it has anything to do with you."

Thousands of questions flooded through Aria's mind after this. She had difficulty decided which one to start off with. She went with, "What do you mean that's how it always happens?"

"If you think you are the first princess there to refer to herself as 'Sleeping Beauty' then you are wrong," Myrtle informed her while leaning back in her chair. "You see, there have been many others before you. The first was called 'Briar Rose.' It depends on the kingdom, but each one revolves around a different fairy tale story. In Galatia, as you have probably figured out that story is 'Sleeping Beauty' and no matter what, good always wins."

Aria tried to wrap her mind around all this. "So that's what happens in the other world, fairy tales just keep repeating themselves?"

Myrtle nodded. "That's correct."

"And which fairy tale takes place in Evalius?" Aria wondered.

"It's likely something you have never heard of," Myrtle answered quietly. "And not anything you should concern yourself with."

Aria sighed, frustrated that she was still not getting any information about Evalius. "Are people aware that history keeps on repeating itself?"

"Only a few magical beings," Myrtle replied. "Even I did not know as many details about some other fairy tales until I came here."

"You said in Galatia and similar kingdoms good always wins," Aria commented. "Did you know that when you first cursed me?"

To Aria's surprise Myrtle nodded. "Yes, even as I was giving you the gift of death I was 99 percent sure that you would live well past sixteen."

"Then why did you bother?"

"Like I said before, I am evil. That's what I do," Myrtle stated thusly. "In our fairy tale world everything is more black and white than here. Good people perform good deeds and evil do evil tasks. It's as simple as that."

"And good always wins," Aria repeated before asking, "Is it the same way in Evalius, a place where evil can't win?"

Instead of answering her question, Myrtle glanced at her watch. "Well, it's been over an hour and its time for me to go home."

"Wait," Aria protested. "I haven't even started my test!"

"Oh, right." Myrtle waved her finger and a moment later, the answers appeared on Aria's test.

"How did you do that?" Aria demanded. "I thought you couldn't do magic without a wand!"

Myrtle grinned, mischievously. "I can still perform simple task, just nothing big."

Aria gazed down at her finished test and stated, "I can't turn this in. It's cheating."

"Would you like me to undo it?" Myrtle asked, still smiling.

"Well, it's already done," Aria muttered as she stood up feeling slightly guilty though since the answers were already there, Aria found it difficult to give them up and start over.

"That's what I thought. Here, good people can do bad things and yet still be considered good," Myrtle stated significantly. "Goodbye, Aria."

"Bye," Aria mumbled as she closed the door behind her and went to drop off her test.

As she walked home, Aria continued to ponder over her conversation with Myrtle about her fairy tale world. She had difficultly believing that there, fairy tales just keep repeating themselves without anyone's awareness. For the first time in her life, Aria actually understood the importance of her history class.


	10. Chapter 10 The Dance

_Chapter 10_

_The Dance_

On the evening of Homecoming, Vanessa gazed at her own reflection in the mirror as she applied her mascara. She almost did not recognize herself since she never wore much make-up. Wishing her best friend were here now, Vanessa finished off her look with her light pink lip-gloss. Getting ready for this dance would be much more fun if Aria were here with her and they could assist each other with their make-up and hair. Vanessa grimly recalled that it was Kendal who showed her how to put on make-up in the first place. Her stomach twisted at this memory. The fact that she would ever be friends with someone like Kendal made her utterly sick. What Vanessa really could not get her head around was that, at times, Aria actually seemed to miss having Kendal as a friend.

Vanessa then heard the doorbell ring shortly followed by her mother calling, "Vanessa, your date is here!"

"I'll be down in a minute," Vanessa answered as she examined her reflection one final time. Her deep blue dress shimmered in the light, her light red hair went down just past her breasts in soft curls, the front pulled back in a diamond hair clip, and her glittery eye shadow sparkled as she blinked.

Once Vanessa determined she appeared as best as she could make herself look, she grabbed her purse, slowly closed her room, and walked nervously down the stairs, her heart pounding. Vanessa honestly did not know what to expect from tonight. She and Walter had been friends since the end of eighth grade, but the two of them had never hung out much without Aria. Vanessa desperately did not want to jeopardize their friendship. Despite the fact that the two of them found themselves in frequent disagreements, Vanessa truly did cherish having Walter as a friend.

The moment Walter caught a glimpse of Vanessa gracefully walking down the steps he beamed. "Wow, Vanessa. You look amazing!"

Vanessa returned the smile. "Thanks. So do you! I didn't know your hair could actually lie flat."

They both laughed as Walter took Vanessa's arm, and they both posed so Mrs. Cooper could take photos of them together. They then proceeded to the black Honda Walter drove to pick her up.

"Wow, this is nice," Vanessa commented impressed. "I didn't know you had a car!"

Walter grinned, "I wish. Actually, my brother came home from college for the weekend and loaned it to me just for tonight."

"That's nice of him. My brother flips out when I just touch his car." Vanessa let out a brief sigh. "I hope my parents get me my own car when I turn sixteen."

Vanessa would be the last of her friends to turn sixteen. It seemed like most of her classmates celebrated their sweet sixteen in the fall semester while she would have to wait until January.

They were silent for a few moments before Walter asked, "So do you know if Derek's still going to the dance even without Aria?"

Vanessa shrugged. "Probably. I think a lot of people are going solo this year for some reason."

"I feel bad for the guy," Walter went on. "The first dance he and Aria could go to as a couple and she has to leave town. That sucks."

"Yeah, it really does," Vanessa agreed recalling the hour she spent on the phone with Aria trying to talk her out of the ball or at the very least take Derek with her.

Vanessa had guessed what the two of them were feeling. Both Derek and Aria seemed to be afraid to move their relationship forward, the evidence being Derek hesitating to ask Aria out to the dance and Aria not wanting to take Derek to her ball. Vanessa informed her over and over that the two of them just needed to express what they really felt to each other, but Aria seemed afraid to even do that.

"So do you think Derek will want to hang out with us?" Walter asked her uncertainly.

Vanessa shook her head. "I doubt it. He'll probably hang around Ian who is with Kendal which means we probably won't see much of him at all tonight."

Walter recalled Vanessa and Kendal's silent feud, which seems to have been going on for at least a couple weeks. "I can't help but notice all the hard glares between you and Kendal. For the past couple weeks, you two seemed to have been having your own Cold War."

Vanessa thought about his history comparison for a moment, "The Cold War. That was the tension between the U.S. and Russia, right?"

"Yes, it was," Walked praised impressed that she actually remembered something from class.

"Yeah, I guess that's a good way to describe it," Vanessa agreed, bitterly thinking about Kendal. "Lately, she's been giving me crap every time I talk to Ian and then goes on to yell at him about it. I don't see why he doesn't just break up with her. He can't possibly be happy in that relationship."

"Maybe's it's different when they're alone," Walter suggested still looking ahead as he drove.

"You sound like Aria," Vanessa pointed out to him. "Personally, I think Kendal brainwashes people to make them like her. She brainwashed Aria and me in middle school and now she's brainwashing Ian."

"Aria claims she use to be nicer," Walter pointed out.

"Yeah, well Aria is determined to see good is just about everyone, no matter what," Vanessa stated with annoyance thinking of Aria's lack of motivation to do anything about Myrtle though she could not point this out to Walter.

"Yeah, I guess she does," Walter agreed even though he was pretty sure that since both Vanessa and Kendal can at times be pretty stubborn and hard headed, they probably found themselves in frequent minor quarrels but still remained friends. That was pretty similar to the way Vanessa acted with him now, though Walter decided for the sake of their first date, he best not point this out.

As they arrived at the school, Walter parked the car and walked around to open the door for Vanessa. The two then proceeded to the school's gym, which was almost unrecognizable with its red velvet royal like banners. Vanessa could not help but think this year's theme, 'A Royal Affair,' would be perfect if Aria were here since she actually was royalty even though she and Derek were the only two people that knew this.

Vanessa and Walter both waved at Derek from across the gym. He did appear slightly sour as he walked behind Ian and Kendal, with Karin Wales chatting up a storm next to him. When Kendal turned the other way, Ian waved to Vanessa. She smiled and waved back.

Homecoming turned out to be quite fun for Vanessa and Walter for the first hour as they danced together first to the fast songs followed by the slow ones. As they two swayed slowly but gracefully to Sarah McLaughlin's "I Will Remember You," Vanessa was surprised at how comfortable she felt. All week she had been worried that her and Walter going together would be awkward, but this moment felt so natural.

When the song reached it's end, Vanessa and Walter headed over to the side table to get some punch. At that moment, Vanessa glanced across the gym to notice that Ian and Kendal did not seem to be having quite as good of a time as her and Walter. Instead, they appeared to be having quite an argument. Not able to hear them, Vanessa tried to make out what they were saying by lip reading but had no luck. She could tell it was serious by both of their bright red faces. Shortly after, she saw Kendal storm off into the side hallway with Ian following her.

Letting her curiosity get the best of her, Vanessa told Walter, "I'll be right back."

Walter just nodded as Vanessa headed to the hallway where the couple had gone. She then found Ian sitting against the wall alone looking glum. Most likely, Kendal had gone into the girl's restroom.

"Hey Ian," Vanessa greeted quietly as she slowly approached him.

He looked up at her barely cracking a smile. "Oh, hey Cooper. Are you enjoying the dance?"

"More than you, apparently," Vanessa commented looking down at him with concern. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Ian let out a frustrated sigh before confiding. "It's just the same stupid little fights we've been having for over a month now. It just seems like no matter what I do, she's never satisfied."

_That's Kendal for you,_ Vanessa thought, but instead asked, "Why are you with her?"

"What?" Ian asked even though he heard her just fine.

"It seems like she does nothing but makes you miserable," Vanessa continued in a soft comforting voice. "Why do you put up with it? Don't you think you deserve better?"

Ian arose and looked at her. "There's no perfect person. Everyone has their flaws."

Vanessa gazed up at him, their eyes meeting. "But still, you deserve someone who would treat you better, someone who doesn't constantly boss you around all the time and maybe gives you a compliment every once in a while, someone like…"

"Someone like who?" Ian asked softly feeling momentary weakness as he leaned his head towards her.

Instead of providing him with a verbal answer, Vanessa moved her head up until their lips touched. As they kissed, they both momentarily forgot that they each had arrived to this dance with other dates. That is until…

"IAN!"

The two quickly broke apart and found a furious, upset Kendal standing at the restroom entrance staring daggers at both of them.

"Kendal, wait! I can explain," Ian tried to grab her arm as she stormed off.

Kendal jerked her arm away, tears starting to stream down her face. "I knew it! I knew there was something going on between you two!"

"No!" Ian protested while Vanessa remained frozen in shock. "It's not like that. Just let me explain."

"Just stay away from me Ian!" Kendal fumed as she bolted out of the building.

As Ian followed, Vanessa remained standing still, unable to believe what she had done. It seemed as though for a moment, she forgot who she was.

"Oh my god! Did you guys see that?" Vanessa heard Karin gossiping to her friends.

_ Oh no. Karin saw us,_ Vanessa thought anxiously. _That means the entire school will know about this within the next five minutes, even… Walter!_

With determination, Vanessa rushed back to the punch table where Walter awaited her. If she could just get him out of here so they could talk alone, then she could explain herself before he hears it from someone else. As Vanessa approached him her face fell when she saw the bitter expression Walter wore on his face. He already knew.

"Walter…" Vanessa began as she slowly approached him.

"Why did you bother asking me if you really wanted to be with him?" Walter demanded with a bitter expression.

"No, it's not like that," Vanessa pleaded earnestly. "I didn't mean for that to happen!"

"Just forget it, Vanessa. I'm going home."

With that, Walter turned and stormed out of the building in fury similar to Kendal's. Vanessa pushed her way through the crowd after him but found that he was gone.

"Walter!" Vanessa called desperately one final time as the rest of her classmates continued to look at her, whispering about her fling with Ian.

"Anyone?" Vanessa muttered more quietly looking around the gym in despair. At this moment, she realized she was completely alone. Now, more than ever, she needed to have her best friend at her side.

xXx

Tears flooding through her eyes, Kendal made her way to a park bench just outside the school to be alone. She glanced behind her to see that Ian had given up on following her. Never had she felt so betrayed. Sure, she and Ian have had their share of conflicts in the past but they always worked past them. What Ian did just now was inexcusable.

Alone, Kendal remained seating on the cold bench, sobbing, until she noticed an arm reached out next to her holding a handkerchief.

"Hello there," said a familiar voice. "It's a shame to see a lovely damsel like yourself in such distress."

As Kendal took the handkerchief she gazed up to see who came to offer her comfort and immediately recognized him, the beautiful boy that came to Sheerwood over a month ago and briefly dated Aria. Edmund.


	11. Chapter 11 The Ball

_Chapter 11_

_The Ball_

"Oh, you look so elegant with your hair up like that, Princess!" Freya exclaimed as she finished styling Aria's hair.

Aria almost did not recognize herself as she gazed at her reflection. She rarely ever wore her hair up in anything more than a simple ponytail. Since her golden hair ran down so long, it was difficult to do anything else with it.

"Wow, it does look nice," Aria commented as she examined the long braid twisted into an elegant bun. "Thank you, Freya!"

"My pleasure, Your Highness!" Freya answered as she placed the diamond tiara upon Aria's head. "All those princes are going to fall head over heels in love with you when they catch a glimpse of your beauty."

_I hope not,_ Aria thought to herself but just smiled at Freya. More than anything right now, Aria wished to have Derek with her. She began to think maybe she should have listened to Vanessa and just brought him to this ball. The only thing that frightened Aria about this was how Derek would react when her parents would begin to discuss the idea of marriage. That would scare off any sixteen-year-old boy. Even Aria found her own stomach twisting at this thought. The more Aria thought about Derek and Vanessa, the more she began to wish she were at the dance instead. Aria wondered how Vanessa and Walter were doing on their first date. She hoped they were getting along okay.

"I think my gift is the most useful tonight," Freya pointed out to her sister fairies, smirking at them as she gazed at Aria proudly.

"I still think Adora is ahead with her gift of remember," Thelma reminded her. "Without that, Princess Aria would not be here right now."

"I shutter to think that Myrtle is still out there somewhere," Freya commented. "Doesn't she have to be dead so Princess Aria can live happily ever after?"

"She is powerless to do anything else against this kingdom," Verna informed sternly. "If Myrtle were to show her face then she will be dealt with."

"What exactly does that mean?" Aria asked her, having not yet informed the fairies of Myrtle's return to her world.

"She will be executed for her crimes against the kingdom and you, Princess," Vera answered.

It took a moment for Aria to absorb this. "You would kill her, just like that? What if she's changed or repented?"

Verna looked at her a bit curiously as she replied, "Well, yes. As long as Myrtle is alive she remains a threat, and besides evil does not change. You do recall Myrtle made a full fledged attempt on your life, don't you, Princess?"

Aria nodded remaining quiet. To her Myrtle's attempt to kill her seemed rather halfhearted. Recalling their one on one fight, Myrtle gave up quickly and expected Aria to kill her. Now, she did not seem interested at all in taking Aria's life.

Verna then walked over towards the door, looking at the other fairies and ordered, "Freya, Thelma, you two come with me to help finish decorating for the ball. Adora, you stay here and accompany Princess Aria until the time comes for her to be presented."

The three fairies swiftly glided out of Aria's bedroom, leaving her alone with Adora, just the fairy Aria wished to talk with.

Adora gazed at Aria with admiration and beamed. "You really do look beautiful, Princess."

Aria sighed but returned the smile. "I've told you Adora. You can just call me Aria."

"I'm afraid here I must address you formally since you are indeed royalty."

"How about when the two of us are alone you just call me Aria?"

Adora smiled. "Alright then, Aria."

Aria fiddled around with her golden necklaces and asked, "So where are these princes going to be coming from?"

"Oh, many different kingdoms," Adora responded looking up as she tried to remember the names of the other lands. "There's Castillo, Verellies, and Rosario. You probably are not yet very familiar with the other kingdoms."

"Any from Evalius?" Aria asked trying to sound casual as she slipped on some more bracelets.

Adora looked at her sharply for a moment before answering, "Um, no. That land is… um… well, it's too far away."

Aria could easily tell Adora purposely withheld information from her about this mysterious land for whatever reason. She had to find out what that reason was.

"Do you know if any princes live there?" Aria pressed on as she pretended to be looking at her own reflection in the mirror but really studied Adora's reactions.

"No, I don't think so," Adora replied quietly not even looking at Aria anymore. "I really do not know much about Evalius at all."

"Has Myrtle ever been there?" Aria asked, but then her stomach tightened as she felt she had pressed this matter too far.

This time Adora looked directly at her and demanded, "Where are these questions coming from, Aria? Have you seen Myrtle recently in your world?"

Aria paused momentarily, not ready to condemn Myrtle to her death. She turned in her chair to face Adora before shaking her head, looking down. "No, I haven't. I was just wondering about her past, that's all. I'm just curious as of why Myrtle is the way that she is."

Adora sighed. "She's just evil because she is, Aria. In this world, everything is more black and white than yours."

Now, it became Aria's turn to let out a sigh, though hers came out a bit more frustrated than Adora's. This sounded like exactly like what Myrtle told her back in the classroom. At least, based on Adora's reactions to her questions, Aria was sure of one thing. Myrtle had some sort of connection with Evalius.

"Well, I think it's about time for you to be presented," Adora announced rising up. "Are you ready?"

Aria nodded and rose up as she gazed at her own reflection. Never in her life had she felt more glamorous. With her light pink gown containing a golden shimmering trim, her hair pulled up and braided neatly, and her make-up though simple made her appear more elegant than ever before.

Aria then met up with Adora by her bedroom door ready to go, but Adora stopped her, looked her directly in the eye and added, "Oh, Aria. It's probably best you don't mention anything about Evalius to anyone here, okay?"

Deciding it was probably pointless to ask 'why not' like she wanted to, Aria just nodded and followed Adora to the main courtroom in the castle, where this grand ball took place. Aria's heart began to race as she entered the room and observed the purple and golden banners hanging from the ceiling, candles lit up against the wall, and a small orchestra in the corner playing soft romantic music. People were dancing gracefully in sync with each other and the music.

"Adora, I don't think I can dance," Aria whispered in a panic.

"Don't worry," Adora whispered back in a comforting voice. "It will come more naturally for you here. Everything does."

Aria felt slightly comforted by this. This world does seem to make everything easier. Aria recalled that here she aimed a sword perfectly right through a dragon's heart, yet back in Nebraska she could not shoot a basketball threw the hoop even if she stood right in front of it.

As the announcement was made of her arrival, everyone applauded for Aria. She, in return, offered a faint smile and waved. One by one, each prince was shown to her and they danced. It turns out Adora was right. Dancing did come much easier to her here. Aria barely made an effort yet her body moved just as gracefully as everybody else's.

Relief swarmed over Aria as she found none of the princes seemed interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with her despite the hour Freya spent making her appear so elegant. Aria got the feeling that most of these princes were forced to come by their families. Every prince Aria danced with merely treated her with politeness and nothing more. Aria herself felt no desire to be with any one of them. Her thoughts at this time were only of Derek. Soon this night would be over and, Aria could inform her parents that she gave all the princes a chance but did not feel that special connection with any of them. Every thing was going smoothly for Aria so far, that is until she met a certain Prince Rupert.

A young prince with short wavy golden blonde swiftly approached Aria, gently took her hand, and kneeled. "Princess Aria, you are even more beautiful than I could ever imagine for I am Prince Rupert of Castillo. I can feel it for I know the two of us were meant to be together. I have dreamt often of a beautiful princess trapped in a tower awaiting her rescue. I am here, my princess, and we shall soon wed."

Aria found herself at a loss of words for a moment. Was this guy seriously considering marriage after just meeting her?

"Um, actually as you can see I have already been rescued," Aria said quietly hoping this dance would not last much longer.

"Ah, yes by a peasant from what I've heard," Prince Rupert commented. "I shall reward him greatly for rescuing my princess for me."

"I'm not your princess," Aria stated beginning to get annoyed. "I barely know you."

Despite Aria's reluctance, Rupert remained confident. "Can't you feel it, Princess Aria? It is destiny that we are meant to be together for my heart tells me so."

"Hmm," was all Aria replied with as she tried to come up with a method to shake off this prince without being too cruel.

Fortunately for Aria, the ball ended after her dance with Prince Rupert. He bade her farewell, declaring that he will soon return to prove his undying love. Aria hoped he would meet some other princess on his way home to Castillo and fall in love with her. She supposed something like that could happen. After all, Rupert fell for her rather quickly so it's possible he could do the same with another princess, right?

As the ball came to it's closure, Aria approached her parents. King Richard and Queen Gretel both beamed as they saw how elegant their daughter looked.

"So, did any prince meet your fancy?" Queen Gretel asked of her daughter.

Aria shook her head. "No, I did not feel a connection towards any of them."

King Richard sighed but continued to smile. "Well, at least you tried and gave everyone a chance. That's all we wanted, just to make sure your true love is not here."

"I suppose this boy from your world, Sir Derek, is the right one for you," Queen Gretel added more accepting of this. "What age do people in your world usually marry?"

Aria attempted to answer the best she could. "Um, well there's no exact number. Usually when both the man and the woman feel they are ready. My adopted parents got married in their mid twenties."

"Well, I suppose that will have to do," King Richard added. "After all, your situation is quite unique."

Once Aria said goodnight to both her parents Adora then showed her to bed. Aria felt so glad this ball was over with and the king and queen no longer would press her on the matter of marriage. Soon she will be back in Norfolk and with Derek. Little did Aria know, Prince Rupert had no plans of returning to Castillo.


	12. Chapter 12 Everything Changes

_Chapter 12_

_Everything Changes_

Feeling concerned, Aria walked across the street to her best friend's house Monday morning, ringing the doorbell. Usually when Vanessa was running late she would at least send Aria a text. Aria peered through the side window by the door to observe Mrs. Cooper standing by the stairs and tried to listen to what they were saying.

"Vanessa! Aria's here." Mrs. Cooper called as she came to open the door.

"I told you Mom. I'm not feeling well," Vanessa called down from upstairs, faking a cough.

Mrs. Cooper sighed. "That's not going to work this time, sweetie. Hurry up and get down here or else the two of you will be late."

"Fine," Vanessa grumbled in frustration. "I'll be down in a minute."

Mrs. Cooper offered Aria a shrug and a half smile, saying, "You don't have to wait for her if you don't want to, Aria."

"It's fine," Aria replied quickly. "I'm sure we'll still make it on time."

Mrs. Cooper just shrugged and left Aria alone in the front hallway, waiting. A few minutes later, Vanessa trudged downstairs in a light blue halter top, her soft curly red hair lay neatly just past her shoulders, and she wore slightly more make-up than normal.

"You look nice," Aria commented as Vanessa grabbed her nearly empty backpack and the two exited her house. "Is there's something going on in school that I don't know about?"

Vanessa shrugged, not looking at her friend. "No, I just went shopping this weekend."

Aria felt the temptation to ask Vanessa if she dressed up nicer for Walter because their date went really well, but she resisted, especially since Vanessa did not appear too happy for some reason.

Aria decided just to go with, "So how was the dance?"

Vanessa continued to gaze downward as she answered quietly, "It was fine."

"You and Walter didn't get into a fight, did you?" Aria asked, glancing at her friend in concern.

"We had a good time," Vanessa mumbled thinking that statement had some truth to it. At the first part of the dance, they _did_ enjoy each other's company. She then hastily changed the subject. "How was the ball? Did you meet any charming princes?"

Now, it became Aria's turn to act secretive as she moved her gaze to straight ahead. "It was alright. Most of the princes just danced with me once and that was it."

Vanessa briefly glanced over to Aria and asked, "None of them seemed interested in you?"

_Only Prince Rupert,_ Aria thought but only shook her head since she really did not want to go into that.

They girls continued the rest of the walk in silence, neither of them desiring to discuss last weekend's events. As they arrived at their school, Aria noticed Vanessa's face went pale and her breath grew rapid.

"Are you alright?" Aria asked, as she observed her friend's odd behavior.

Vanessa only nodded peering cautiously into the building past the empty front steps usually occupied by the popular kids.

"That's weird," Aria commented pointing at the front steps of Sheerwood. "I wonder where everyone is."

Vanessa barely offered a shrug as the two entered the building. It became clear to Aria that something has massively changed, but at this moment, she could not tell what it was. So far, Aria saw no sign of Ian or Kendal or even Derek. Most of the other football players and cheerleaders stood around chatting out in the hall by their lockers. Several members of the football team seemed to be checking Vanessa out as the two girls past them. Vanessa, however, did not seem to notice as she continued to glumly trudge forward.

Aria opened her mouth to push for more information from Vanessa but she then spotted Walter walking to his locker. "Hey Walter."

"Hello Aria," Walter returned her greeting though barely looking at her as he brushed by.

"Hi Walter," Vanessa greeted, waving her hand, her eyes filled with hope.

Walter just ignored her as he made his way to his locker. Vanessa's face fell, her hand slowly falling down along with it, as she appeared ever more gloomy than before.

"Something did happen with you two, didn't it?" Aria sighed regretting that she ever suggested Vanessa ask Walter to the dance. "Why don't you just tell me what it is? Maybe I can talk to Walter for you."

Finally, Vanessa turned to face Aria. "I really don't think that's going to help."

"Why, what did you do?"

Vanessa let out a sigh of exasperation. "Why do you automatically assume I did something?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Aria apologized, hastily, with uncertainty. "Um, did Walter do something?"

This time Vanessa breathed even more heavily as she admitted, "No, of course not. He was a gentleman. It was all my fault." She paused for a moment before confessing. "It's just that at the dance I, um… well, I sort of kissed Ian."

"You did what?" Aria exclaimed, clasping her hand over her mouth. "Vanessa, what were you thinking?"

"I know, I know. I guess I just wasn't thinking clearly." Vanessa ran her hand through her hair in distress, looking downward as she spoke. "It's just that he and Kendal were fighting and he looked so depressed, I just wanted to make him feel better."

"That's kind of an extreme method for comforting someone," Aria muttered as they stopped at their lockers.

Ignoring this comment Vanessa moaned on, "And now Walter's mad at me for ruining our date, everyone date the dance was talking about Ian and me that night, and Kendal's probably turned everyone against me by now."

"That doesn't seem entirely true," Aria comforted, thinking of those football players checking Vanessa out.

At that moment Dean Jackson, one of the more popular football players strutted by saying, "Hey Cooper, looking hot."

"Um, thanks," Vanessa replied uncertainly before turning back to Aria. "That was weird. Usually Dean only hits on cheerleaders."

Aria shrugged. "Maybe he's branched out to volleyball players."

From that moment on, things only got stranger as Karen Wales approached both girls with a broad smile on her face.

"Hi Vanessa!" Karin greeted brightly. "Cute top."

"Um, thanks," Vanessa replied slightly thrown off by her compliment.

"Oh, hi Aria," Karen added as an afterthought, though that was still nicer than her usual comments to Aria.

"Hi," Aria replied weakly while quickly flashing Vanessa a 'what's going on' expression.

Vanessa just shrugged as Karin turned back to her direction and went on. "So, are you and Ian like an official couple by now? You two totally seemed passionate about each other when you kissed at the dance."

"Um, we haven't really talked much since then," Vanessa replied still slightly stunned. "I don't even know if he and Kendal are actually over."

"Well, obviously he dumped her for you. Everyone knows that," Karen gossiped on. "I guess Kendal can't hold on to any man like she claimed. Anyway, I heard Kendal's already moved on."

"You mean she's already dating someone else?" Aria asked.

"Yeah, somehow she managed to find someone that doesn't think she's a complete loser," Karin answered rolling her eyes, as she seemed to just realize Aria was still there. "Actually from what I hear, Kendal rebounded with your ex-boyfriend, Aria." She then turned back to Vanessa and added. "Kind of pathetic if you ask me."

"My ex-boyfriend?" Aria repeated slightly dazed.

Karin just nodded, smirking a little.

"I have to go," Aria breathed as she rushed off leaving Karin and Vanessa behind.

Aria's heart pounded heavily as she searched every corner of the building. Before Derek she had only had one other boyfriend.

_ He can't be back! Not him, too, _Aria thought desperately remembering what she perceived to be a hallucination a few weeks ago. Sure enough, just as she peered out in the courtyard just outside the back of the building, she spotted him. There on a small table by the bushes sat Edmund with Kendal across from him. Aria's heart sank. What business could he possibly have back in Sheerwood and what did that have to do with Kendal?

"Aria?"

Aria jumped as she felt a hand pressed on her shoulder. As she turned to see who it was she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was only Derek.

"Why is he here?" Aria whispered as she turned to gaze back to Edmund and Kendal.

Derek did not move his hand from her shoulder. "I don't know. First Myrtle comes back and now him. You might want to tell the fairies that he's come back too next time you're in Galatia."

"Oh, yeah sure," Aria muttered not bothering mention that she never informed her fairies of Myrtle's return. Before she was ready to condemn anyone to death, Aria had to find out the truth. Is Edmund still working for Myrtle or has he become his own agent? Maybe he found someone else to work for.

"At least he doesn't seem to be coming after you," Derek said trying to comfort her as he too gazed out at the newly formed couple.

Ignoring this, Aria stated firmly, "We have to get her away from him. At least until we find out exactly what Edmund wants with her." She paused for a moment, thinking. "Is there any way we can get Kendal and Ian to talk?"

Derek sighed. "I doubt it. Kendal made it pretty clear that is was over. I spent the rest of the weekend after the dance trying to console Ian over it. Personally, I think soon he'll realize he's better off without her."

"I thought Ian was the one who broke off the relationship."

Derek shook his head. "No, it was Kendal. I guess, based on what happened at the dance, it looked like Ian dumped her for Vanessa, but Ian told me that he tried to apologize and tell her he made a mistake. She, of course, wouldn't listen." Derek paused to check his watch. "We probably should head to class. The five minute bell is about to ring."

"Myrtle won't care if we're late," Aria muttered noticing Edmund and Kendal did not seem to be in a hurry either.

"Hey Aria, Derek! There you are."

Aria turned to see Vanessa rushing down the hall towards them appearing much more gleeful than earlier. When Vanessa came close enough to catch a glimpse of Aria's expression, her smile faded. "What's wrong, Aria?"

Aria pointed out the window. "Edmund's back."

Vanessa gazed out at the small table containing Edmund with Kendal. "Him too? They just keep coming back." She paused momentarily and shrugged as she observed the couple. "Well, at least he does not seem to be interested in you anymore."

"Yeah, thank God," Derek agreed putting his arm around Aria.

Aria could not believe what she was hearing. Just because Edmund did not seem to be after her specifically doesn't mean that he's not up to something, something evil.

"Oh, Derek," Vanessa interjected changing the topic. "Do you know where Ian is? I want to talk to him."

"I think he went ahead into the classroom," Derek answered.

Aria snapped out of her daze and turned to face her best friend. "Why do you need to talk to Ian?"

"I want to talk to him about what happened at the dance, of course," Vanessa replied with an attitude that kind of reminded Aria of Kendal. "Everyone thinks we've hooked up since then so I was thinking we should make it official. Besides, it seems like Kendal's already moved on."

"It's not like Kendal is going to stay together with Edmund," Aria argued. "And what about Walter?"

"What about Walter?" Vanessa asked confused.

"You went to the dance with him," Aria reminded her trying to keep her cool. "Five minutes ago before talking to Karin you actually seemed to feel guilty about what you did to him that night."

"Walter and I went together as friends, nothing more," Vanessa defended, her face beginning to glow red in fury. "As far as morals go, I didn't do anything wrong. He has absolutely no reason to be mad at me."

"You didn't do anything wrong?" Aria repeated in fury. "You ditched your date at the Homecoming Dance and went after someone else's boyfriend!"

Vanessa just shrugged this off. "Who cares? It's only Kendal." She paused momentarily as something seemed to hit her and she then smiled. "Wait. Remember how I said I wish there was a way to take Kendal down so she would no longer be the most popular girl in the school?"

Aria barely nodded getting the feeling that she was not going to like where this was going.

Vanessa went on trying to end their argument. "Well, this is it, Aria. Apparently the only reason Kendal was ever _Queen Bee_ or even popular at all was because of Ian. Now's that he's dumped her, her reign over Sheerwood High is over."

Aria briefly looked up at Derek but he had nothing to offer to this conversation. She then returned her gaze back to Vanessa. It seemed odd how Vanessa stood right in front of her, yet to Aria it felt as though she was on the other side of the building.

"Don't you see, Aria?" Vanessa put her hand on her friend's other shoulder. "I did it. Things are going to be different now." She paused for a second and turned to leave adding, "Now, I'm going to go find Ian."

Aria starred after Vanessa as she departed, her light silky red hair bouncing perfectly just past her shoulder. As Aria watched her friend strut off, she felt as though she already lost her the same way she lost Kendal two years before. 


	13. Chapter 13 Fairy Tale Prince in a Modern

_Chapter 13_

_Fairy Tale Prince in a Modern World_

Vanessa could not believe her luck. Had she known all she had in order to knock Kendal off the top of the popularity chart was kiss Ian, she would have done that a long time ago. Now, all Vanessa had to do to seal the deal was talk to Ian. She knew for a fact, she could make him much happier than Kendal ever did.

Since time ran out before homeroom, Vanessa was forced to wait until the break after third period. As break began, Vanessa watched Aria meet up with Walter for this free time and let out a sigh. Vanessa was truly sorry that her best friend got dragged in the middle of this mess, but she also felt it wasn't her fault Walter started acting like a jerk to her after the dance. After all, they did just go to homecoming as friends. In her mind, Vanessa did nothing wrong.

The moment Vanessa spotted Ian by his locker she rushed up to him and tapped his shoulder. "Hey, Ian. I've been looking for you all morning. I was wondering if we could talk?"

Ian nodded, barely meeting her eyes, saying quietly, "You're right. We do need talk. Let's go somewhere more quiet."

Vanessa followed him around the corner by the library entrance where they stood alone.

"Look, Vanessa," Ian began in a serious tone this time looking directly at her. "What happened at the dance was a mistake. I made a mistake."

Vanessa shook her head as she gently touched his arm. "No, I really don't think you did." Vanessa paused as she gazed up at him. "Ian, listen to me. What happened that night at the dance would not have happened if part of you did not want to break up with Kendal in the first place. I think soon you will realize you are much happier without her."

Ian turned his gaze downward, gloomily and muttered quietly, "I don't feel happier yet."

With her other hand, Vanessa grabbed Ian's other arm, this time more firmly, forcing him to look at her. "That's because you have not moved on yet. Look at Kendal. She's already moved on and she seems happier now." _That is until Edmund does whatever he is planning to do to her, _Vanessa thought to herself but did not point this out. "That's what you need to do, too, Ian. Move on. Until you do that, you'll just be all miserable and depressed like you are now."

Ian nodded, reluctantly agreeing. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

Vanessa smiled, victorious. "Great! So how about dinner this Friday?"

xXx

"Edmund," Aria demanded, finally catching him without Kendal as he walked up to the lunch line, likely getting food for the two of them.

"Princess Aria." He grinned, mischievously. "You look as lovely as ever."

"Don't try and flatter me," Aria gritted through her teeth. "And don't call me 'princess' either. I want to talk to you alone."

"As you wish." Edmund's smirk did not fade as he followed Aria out of the cafeteria.

Once they were alone Edmund declared with no sincerity, "I do hope you and your prince charming are living happily together, for my attentions now go to the lovely Kendal Lewis."

"I can see that," Aria commented giving him a hard look. "What do you want with her?"

"Ah, the youthful, vibrate Miss Lewis has caught the eye of my new master." Edmund grinned even more darkly, which sent chills through Aria's spine as he continued, "She's been chosen."

It took a moment for Aria to get her thoughts together as she tried to decide what she wanted to ask him next. "So you're not working for Myrtle anymore?"

Edmund shook his head. "No, this time I am working for someone who can actually win."

_So Myrtle really does have nothing to do with this, _Aria thought in surprise. She then demanded, "Who's your new master."

"He reigns in a place you likely have never heard of."

This time, it became Aria's turn to grin as she thought she would take a stab at it. "Is he from Evalius?"

Edmund starred at her taken back. "You know of Evalius?"

"I've heard of it."

Edmund eyed her curiously. "What exactly do you know of Evalius?"

Aria looked down as she considered what she did know. "It's a far away land that most people from Galatia don't know of and those that do are afraid to even speak of it for some reason."

"As they should be," Edmund confirmed then smirked. "But you mustn't be concerned. Your young friend has been chosen for something special and she will be greatly remembered in Evalius for all eternity. I would advise you, Princess, to stay out of this for your own sake."

This sent even more chills throughout Aria's entire body. With satisfaction, Edmund left her to absorb this. What did Edmund mean by 'she will be greatly remembered?' To Aria, that did not sound like anything good for Kendal. She had to figure out some way to stop this.

Later, on her way to English later that day, Aria met up with Derek and informed him of everything she learned from Edmund. He did not react at all how she wanted him to.

"So you're sure that Edmund and this ruler of Evalians, or whatever, are not coming after you at all, right?" Derek asked his eyes pleading for assurance.

Aria confirmed, "No, there're definitely after Kendal. Edmund's treating her exactly like he treated me back when he was working for Myrtle, as if she were the only girl in the world."

Derek let out a sigh of relief as he put his arm around her. "Good."

Out of frustration, Aria shoved his arm away as she stopped walking and faced him, on the verge of shouting. "This is not good news, Derek! Edmund is still working on the side of evil and I can tell he's got something terrible planned for Kendal."

"At least this time you're not the victim," Derek pointed out the pausing for a moment before adding, "Look, Aria. I think for your own safety you should take Edmund's advice and stay out of this. Besides, it's just Kendal. It's not like she's your friend. She's not even my best friend's girlfriend anymore so there's no reason for either of us to get involved."

"You expect just to sit back knowing that someone is in trouble and not doing anything about it?" Aria lashed out her frustration at him.

Derek only shrugged and stated more calmly, "If it means you will be safe, then yes."

Aria just glared at him. She could not believe his apathy towards this whole situation. After informing Derek that someone in this school is in danger all he does is shrug it off saying he's glad she's not the one in trouble?

That apathy soon changed as Aria heard a familiar voice calling from down the hallway. "Princess Aria! Alas, my quest to find you has been fulfilled."

"No," Aria whispered, as she turned dreading to see whom it was. "How did he find me?"

Marching down the hall towards where Derek and Aria stood came Prince Rupert in his shining silver armor with his golden blonde hair bouncing perfectly as he moved. Most of the students in the hall stared at him in confusion while others giggled.

"Aria," Derek asked looking just as confused as the other students. "Who is that?"

"Prince Rupert," Aria squeaked weakly as she gawked at the fairy tale prince, horrified.

If she had not taken this new sleeping potion Adora gave her and actually slept decently the previous night, Aria would have thought this was a hallucination. However, seeing her classmates and Derek's reaction along with feeling fully awake, she knew Prince Rupert was really here.

Once he approached her, Prince Rupert knelt down in front of Aria, taking her hand and kissing it. "My lovely princess. How I have missed you when you were away."

"How did you find me?" Aria demanded as she snatched her hand away.

"I followed you and your fairy to this mysterious lake that led to another world," Rupert explained as he rose up. "And then I used my noble stead to track you down."

"You brought your horse?" Aria asked in a daze.

"But of course. He's tied up just outside this strange building," Rupert declared as he once again took her hand. "Now, come, my princess. Let us leave this place and return to rule together in Galatia."

"Is this guy for real?" Derek asked uncertainly looking sideways between Aria and Rupert.

"Who is this man, Princess," Rupert asked just becoming aware of Derek's presence.

"I'm Derek, Aria's boyfriend," Derek answered firmly as he put his arm around Aria.

"Ah, well, any friend of my fair princess is a friend of mine." Rupert held out his hand to Derek, who did not shake it.

"No, um, Prince Rupert," Aria interjected in a worried voice. "I don't think you get it. Derek and I are… well, we're dating."

Rupert appeared dumbfounded. "I don't understand. What do you mean you are _dating _him?"

Aria tried to think of the best way to explain this. "Derek is my, uh… he's the one that rescued me from the tower."

"I see, but you are not married to him," Rupert pointed out not backing down. "Had I arrived to this tower on time, surely my kiss would have awaken you from your slumber. Do you not remember the dance we shared together at the ball?"

"Wait, what ball?" Derek demanded as he removed his arm from Aria's shoulder and turned to face her. "I thought you said you were gone for your mother's birthday?"

Prince Rupert shook his head. "No, it was a royal ball to determine who the Princess Aria shall wed, and she….

"Rupert, stop!" Aria interrupted, holding her hand up to him as she turned to Derek. "Look, Derek. Just let me explain."

"You lied to me!" Derek raged his face beginning to turn red. "You blew me off at the dance to go meet up with some prince at a ball?"

"No, Derek. It's not like that," Aria pleaded desperately. "The only reason I lied about this is because…"

"I know why you lied," Derek stated more quietly before she could finish. "It's because you don't think I'm good enough for you." He pointed at Rupert and added, "This is the kind of guy you really want to be with. I just don't measure up to _Prince Charming_ here."

Aria could feel tears starting to burn in her eyes. "How can you say that, Derek? Of course you're good enough for me. Please, let me finish."

"Just forget it, Aria." Derek started to storm off as he turned and added, bitterly, "I hope you and your prince live happily ever after."

Aria opened her mouth but found herself at a loss of words. She felt as though she were falling into an abyss as she watched Derek moving farther and farther away from her. How could she ever get him back after this?

"My princess, we should be leaving now." Rupert took her hand.

Once again, Aria snatched her hand away, this time more forcefully as she firmly stated, "I am not your princess, Rupert."

"But of course you are. I can feel it. The two of us are destined to be together for eternity."

"No, we're not!" Aria fumed as she tried to think of a way to get rid him. "I know for a fact, we are not."

Rupert just eyed her curiously. "Are you telling me that the moment our eyes met at the ball you did not feel that instant connection binding us together in true love?"

Aria shook her head and answered flatly, "No."

Prince Rupert looked taken back. Aria began to feel slightly guilty until he stated simply, "Oh, very well then. I guess you are not my princess. Well, I suppose I should be on my way."

Aria could not believe this. "That's it. You're just going to leave."

"Why yes," Prince Rupert answered, apparently not that upset. "You did not fall in love with me at first sight. I cannot force you to love me so yes, as you say. That is it. I suppose I am destined to rescue a different maiden from a tower."

"Yeah, I suppose so," Aria muttered quietly as she thought of something. "Maybe she has long hair, longer than mine, and she's locked away in a tower away from the rest of the world, longing to be rescued by a prince."

Prince Rupert considered this and then a broad smile appeared across his face. "You could be right, Princess. On my way to the ball, I heard this enchanting voice as I road in the forest. Had I not been determined to meet you, I would have followed it."

"Well, maybe you should have followed it," Aria told in as she began to gain more confidence in this idea. "Yes, next time you are in that forest, follow her voice and you will find a tower with just one window up high. Go up under that window and say these words, 'Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair so that I may climb the golden stairs.'"

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel!" Prince Rupert repeated his voice filled with excitement. "I will find you, my love!" He then turned back to Aria and kissed her hand graciously. "Thank you, Princess! I am forever in your debt. You will be an honored guest at our wedding. I must depart now so that I may be with my true love. Farewell!"

With that, Prince Rupert offered one final bow before leaving. Aria realized that she now stood alone in the hallway and was twenty minutes late for English. She felt a brief moment of gladness that she was finally rid of Prince Rupert, but soon her depression returned.

_If I had just told him that in the first place I could have saved myself this whole mess, _Aria thought bitterly, as she felt more annoyance with herself at this moment than anyone else. Had Aria known all she had to do was tell this prince that she did not feel love at first sight, she could have prevented him from following her and she would still have Derek.

Soon, Prince Rupert would likely find Rapunzel, save her, and then they would live happily ever after. Now, more than ever, Aria wished her own life could be that simple.


	14. Chapter 14 Trying to Solve the Mystery

_Chapter 14_

_Trying to Solve the Mystery_

Aria sat down across from Vanessa with her tray of mashed potatoes in one hand and her fairy tale books in the other. For the rest of the week she had been forced to divide her time with Walter and Vanessa since she did not want to lose either of them as a friend. Today just happened to be Vanessa's turn.

"Why did you bring those?" Vanessa asked, nodding her head towards the books.

"Remember what I told you about Evalius?" Aria opened the book. "Well, I going to try and figure out which fairy tale might be taking place there and more about its ruler so I can find a way to stop him."

"Do you have to do that now? People are going to wonder what you are doing with a bunch of fairy tale books."

"I don't care what people think right now," Aria replied annoyed.

Vanessa only shrugged. "I guess you can tell them you are doing an extra credit project for Ms. Malone. They might believe that."

Aria merely let out an indifferent 'hmm' as she scrutinized through the pages.

"You said Edmund and his new master are not coming after you, right?" Vanessa asked.

Aria shook her head. "No, Edmund said Kendal was the one his master had chosen for something." Aria paused to ponder this. "It must be someone who knows her or has at least met her. I just wonder who it could be and if they're still here."

"It could be one of the coaches," Vanessa suggested in an indifferent tone as she took a bite of her potatoes.

Aria, who has still not touched her food, ignored her friend's apathy and continued, "I just need to figure out which story this is and how Kendal ties in with it."

Vanessa just continued to stir her food, uninterested. "I'd imagine if Kendal were apart of a fairy tale she would be an evil witch or something like that."

In frustration, Aria slammed her book shut. "Vanessa, this is serious! Kendal could be in real trouble!"

Vanessa just rolled her eyes. "Can you blame me for not caring. It's only Kendal. It's not like she's our friend anymore."

"I can't just do nothing when I know Edmund has something terrible planned for her," Aria protested reminded of the same annoyance she felt with Derek the other day.

Vanessa remained apathetic. "So if you need to get it off your conscious just tell Kendal that Edmund is bad news. Whether she chooses to listen to you or not is her business."

Aria leaned her forehead on both hands in frustration. "I'm sure if I try to warn her she'll just assume I'm trying to steal Edmund back from her. Especially now that somehow the whole school already knows that Derek and I are having problems."

"Speaking of Derek," Vanessa interjected attempting to distract Aria from this topic. "Don't you think you should focus more on fixing your relationship with him, someone who actually cares about you, rather than someone who's only made your high school life miserable?"

Aria lifted her head up to look at her. "So I'm supposed to just let Kendal die because I decided I'd rather work on my own relationship?"

"How you even know she's going to die?" Vanessa asked exasperated.

Aria sighed thinking back. "It's just the way Edmund said 'she will always be remembered.' Does that sound like anything good to you?"

Vanessa just shrugged looking back down at her food. "I don't know. Kendal likes getting attention. She'd probably like the idea of being always remembered for something."

Aria could feel the frustration building up inside her. Would no one help her with this? Even if she could get Derek to talk to her again, Aria recalled him being just as apathetic about this situation as Vanessa.

"Hey, Vanessa, Aria! Is it okay if we sit here?"

As Aria heard Lacey's voice she looked up to see both Lacey and Karin standing by their table. Vanessa nodded and the two girls joined them, Karin next to Vanessa, while Lacey sat by Aria.

"So, what are we doing this weekend?" Karin asked turning her head to Vanessa.

"Actually, I'm going to be out of town," Vanessa answered. "My brother's soccer team made it to state and the big game is in Lincoln."

"Wait a second!" Karin slammed her fist on the table. "So you're saying if you can get out of this trip, you will have an empty house all to yourself?"

"Yeah, I guess," Vanessa answered not following where Karin was going with this.

"Do you know what this means?" Karin demanded excitedly and when Vanessa failed to grasp her meaning she continued, "We can have the greatest party like ever, better than anything we've thrown at Kendal's."

Vanessa looked down as she considered this. "I suppose I could tell my parents I got really behind in school work and need the weekend to catch up. They'd probably believe that." She gained more confidence in this as she looked across the table. "Yeah, I can just tell them I'll stay at Aria's while they're gone so I won't be alone. It will be perfect!"

Aria frowned. "Vanessa, I'm not sure that's a good idea. Your parents would be furious if they found out."

"They're not going to find out," Vanessa stated as she pounded her fist against the table firmly.

Karin just ignored Aria and added, "We'll just have to make sure only the people we want to come are there." She leaned closer to Vanessa as she eyed where Kendal and Edmund sat. "Meaning certain people cannot be invited."

If this were a cartoon, Aria imagined a light ball would appear over Vanessa's head as her eyes lit up before her next statement. "I don't know. I think maybe we could have some fun with _certain_ people."

Karin smiled mischievously. "What did you have in mind?"

Before Vanessa could explain whatever plans she had for Kendal, Aria slammed her hand against the table, as she interjected, "Vanessa, don't you think Kendal's been through enough?" _Which may soon get worse, _she added privately. "Whatever horrible thing you are planning to do to her this weekend, just forget it."

"Aria," Vanessa pleaded turning to face her. "Think about the way Kendal has treated us for the past two years."

Aria shook her head as she stood up with her lunch tray and her fairy tale books. "That's no reason! It would only make you just as bad as her."

"Where are you going?" Vanessa demanded as Aria began to walk away.

"I don't know what terrible thing you are planning on doing to Kendal this weekend, but I will not be apart of it," Aria stated firmly. "I'm going to go sit with Walter."

"Fine, be like that!" Vanessa retorted before turning back to Karin and Lacey to tell them her idea.

Aria marched around the cafeteria in fury as she searched for Walter. She decided that from now on she would sit with him. Thinking over what just happened, Aria could not believe how much her best friend has changed and in only a few days. This world began to feel just as unreal as her fairy tale world. Aria's stomach turned as she spotted Derek heading in her direction.

"Derek." Aria tried to stop him as he passed. "Derek, wait. I need to talk to you."

"We have nothing to talk about," Derek muttered as he brushed passed her.

Aria's heart sank as she watched the back of his head moving further away from her. How was she supposed to explain why she did what she it if he would not even take two minutes to let her talk?

Giving up her search in the cafeteria, Aria figured Walter must have gone to the library. The school librarian was surprisingly lenient about food in her library just so long as the students were quiet. Sure enough, as Aria entered she found Walter at one of the tables, with an open textbook. As he lifted his head up and saw Aria, he smiled.

"Mind if I join you," Aria asked as she pulled up a chair.

Walter nodded but asked, "I thought today was Vanessa's turn?"

"Yeah, well when Vanessa starts scheming against other girls she forfeits her turn," Aria stated flatly as she sat down across from Walter. "Plus, I can't stand Karin."

"So who's the target?" Walter asked casually even though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

Aria rolled her eyes. "Kendal. I guess stealing her boyfriend causing her to be humiliated in front of the whole school wasn't enough for Vanessa." Aria paused to look down at her lunch tray. "Well, Walter. It looks like lunch is just going to be you and me from now on."

Walter raised his drink. "Lunch mates for life."

"For life," Aria repeated as she raised her drink.

"What's with the fairy tale books?" Walter asked nodding at them.

"Oh, it's um…" Aria paused trying to remember Vanessa's excuse. "It's an extra credit project I'm doing for Ms. Malone."

"Do you need extra credit for that class? I thought you already read _Twilight._"

Aria tried to think but could only come up with, "Bonus points never hurt."

Fortunately Walter seemed to accept this.

Aria opened her book, but then looked up at Walter and tried, "Hey, do you know of any fairy tales that have this evil ruler that chooses these young girls for…um, well I don't know exactly what."

Walter shook her head. "I don't think I've heard of that story. Is that what your project is, to figure it out?"

Aria sighed. "That's part of it."

At this moment, Aria began to wish that Walter were the friend that knew her secret about the fairy tale world. Not only would he be more willing to actually help but also he would be more likely figure this mystery before Aria could.

Unable to focus, Aria shut her book as she said, "I shouldn't left town this weekend. I bet if I was at the dance I could have stopped Vanessa from going after Ian and everything would be just the way it was."

_Also, Derek and I would probably still be together,_ Aria added unable to say this part aloud.

Walter looked directly into her eyes as he stated sincerely, "Aria, you'll the last person I would blame for what happened. I guess Vanessa just wanted to be with Ian all along. We did go as friends. I suppose I was just hoping that might turn in to something more."

Aria shook her head. "No, I think the real reason she did it is in spite of Kendal. Monday morning, she actually did seem to feel bad about what happened before I left her alone with Karin."

"Still, maybe I should be the one who apologizes first," Walter considered as he leaned back in his chair.

"No, what Vanessa did was wrong," Aria stated firmly as she put her fist on the table. "If you give in now, she'll just keep pushing you around in the future. Trust me, this whole week that's exactly how she's been with Ian."

Walter sighed. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

Aria thought about what she said for a moment. "You know what I don't get, is Ian."

Walter looked at her curiously. "What about Ian?"

"I don't know," Aria continued as she stirred her fork through her food. "It's just that he seems like a perfectly nice guy yet he somehow manages to bring out the worst in the girl he's dating. Both Kendal and Vanessa are proof of that."

"Speaking of which, there's his former girlfriend now," Walter said indicating with his head as he ate.

Aria turned around in her chair to see Kendal walking into the library to look at magazines. Somehow, in a way Aria could not explain, Kendal seemed different. She appeared softer, more relaxed than before. Aria supposed it was possible that Vanessa was not the only girl at Sheerwood who completely changed her attitude.

Switching back to face Walter, Aria grinned and asked, "Want to see an experiment?"

Walter returned the smile. "Always."

Aria twisted back and called out, "Hi Kendal."

Kendal peered up from the magazine she held, offering Aria a brief smile. "Oh, hi Aria, Walter. Why are you two eating in here?"

"We both have studying to do." Aria hesitated before adding, "And there are certain people we want to avoid."

Immediately comprehending, Kendal nodded. "Can't blame you there." She then looked over to Walter and added, "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened at the dance. I know it's hard to see someone you like with somebody else."

Walter nodded, offering her a brief smile. "Yeah, I'm sorry about what happened, too. I guess we kind of understand each other in that way."

Kendal merely chuckled a little. "Yeah, who would have thought? Anyway, I better go ahead and check this out. Edmund is waiting for me back in the cafeteria."

Aria stared in disbelief as Kendal waved bye to them before proceeding to check out her magazine. Things at Sheerwood just got weirder and weirder.

"Well, I guess I did get some form of an apology, just from an unexpected source," Walter commented as he leaned back looking just as startled as Aria. "How did she even know I liked Vanessa?"

Aria shrugged less surprised by this. "Kendal has always had her ways in that area. Back in seventh grade, she knew I had a crush on Aston Jones before I even knew."

As Kendal checked out her _Cosmopolitan _magazine, Aria felt she had to try something. She muttered 'be right back' to Walter,' and followed Kendal as she departed the library.

"Kendal, wait," Aria called out as Kendal walked down the hallway.

Kendal turned around and asked simply, "What is it Aria?"

As Aria approached Kendal, she spoke cautiously, "I just wanted to talk to you about Edmund."

Kendal sighed, slightly exasperated, as she peered up at Aria from the magazine she held. "What about Edmund?"

Aria considered her words carefully. "Look, I know he seems like this great, amazing guy, but that's all just an act. He's really…"

"Aria, I don't know what to tell you," Kendal interrupted in monotone. "But Edmund's with me now."

Aria froze unsure what to say next. She had to admit she was slightly thrown off by Kendal's tone. This was not the same way she threatened Vanessa to stay away from Ian or else. It seemed more as though she was stating a simple fact.

As Kendal started to walk off she turned back around, waved her magazine by her side, and added, "Look, Aria. Derek really did seem happy when you two were together. I'm sure if you two just talked you could work out whatever problems you are having."

"That's not really the point," Aria began to mutter but soon realized Kendal was too far away.

Aria's watched helplessly as Edmund came in the hall to join Kendal. As he embraced his new girlfriend, Edmund flashed Aria a brief smirk before the two of them proceeded back to the cafeteria. Overwhelming feelings swarmed throughout Aria as she knew she would not only have to figure out a way to get Kendal away from Edmund, but also exactly what Edmund's new master wants with her to begin with. Aria's heart sank as she thought about the worst part. She would have to do this alone.


	15. Chapter 15 The Switch

_Chapter 15_

_The Switch_

By the end of the week, Aria had gotten into the habit of leaving for school ten minutes earlier than normal. The two girls never officially declared their friendship nullified, but with the way Vanessa has been acting this whole week, Aria could not stand to be around her. Vanessa, too busy strutting among the school showing off her new boyfriend, did not seem to care that their friendship was now laying upon dangerous grounds. Aria tried to force apathetic feelings as well but found this unsuccessful. She reflected over the last time she felt this torn up over losing a friend, when she lost Kendal. It seemed unreal that this was happening again. Apparently, Galatia was not the only place where history repeats itself.

The only thing worse than thinking about Vanessa for Aria was thinking of Derek. This entire week, every time she would try to talk to him he would blow her off. In Aria's mind, the silent treatment was the worst possible punishment Derek could give her. Aria felt as though maggots lived within her chest, slowly and painfully eating up her heart.

Trying to push thoughts of Vanessa and Derek to the back of her mind, Aria reminded herself of her mission. She stopped for a moment on her walk to check and make sure she remembered to pack Myrtle's wand. Today, Aria planned on confronting either Edmund or Myrtle and getting one of them to reveal exactly who this ruler of Evalius is and what happens to girls once they get chosen. If necessary, she would use magical force to extract this information. A fragment of Aria's mind felt grateful that she had something this significant to focus on. Otherwise, she would be even more of a wreck over her problems with Vanessa and Derek.

The moment Aria arrived at Sheerwood, she immediately began searching for Edmund. It felt strange seeing the school hall this empty. Aria was not use to coming to school early.

Spotting Kendal alone by grabbing books from within her locker, Aria approached her. "Hey Kendal. Do you know where Edmund is?"

Kendal sighed slightly exasperated asking, "Why do you need to talk to Edmund, Aria?"

"I just wanted to ask him something about English," Aria answered innocently. "He's really good at poetry and I need help with our assignment."

Kendal stared at her, unconvinced. "We don't have any poems due for English. I think today we are supposed to watch Twilight. Anyway, Edmund is out of town."

"On a school day?"

Kendal turned her gaze back to her locker as she continued to rearrange textbooks. "Yeah, he said he had some kind of family emergency. His dad called the school this morning. He should be back Monday."

Aria nodded muttering 'see you later' as she threw her backpack over her shoulder and made her way to the English classroom. Peering through the rectangular glass window on the door, Aria observed Myrtle sitting alone at the teacher's desk, apparently grading papers. Aria entered, locking the door behind and pulling down the shade over the window.

Myrtle looked up and offered her a small grin. "I taken there is something you wish to speak with me about alone?"

Aria approached her desk and stated firmly, "I need you to tell me everything you know about the king of Evalius. I know Edmund is working for him."

Continuing to gaze directly at Aria, Myrtle set down the pen she used for grading. "How can you be sure I'm not working with him as well or maybe they are both working for me?"

"Edmund said this time he was working for someone who could actually win." Aria leaned against the top of one of the front student desk.

Myrtle shifted her glance downward. "Well, that's slightly hurtful. Ed used to be extremely loyal to me."

Aria raised her eyebrow slightly. "Do you want to get back at him?"

Myrtle sighed. "No. I haven't had much use for him lately anyway and I suppose it is not really a betrayel."

Aria stood back up as she decided to try a different approach. "Look, I don't know if you knew this, but the other fairies were planning on putting you to death once they find you."

Myrtle leaned back in her chair, softly tapping her pen. "I did know that, actually. I'll admit its part of the reason I came here. What's your point?"

Aria began to pace back and forth in front of Myrtle's desk as she explained, "My point is last weekend when I was in Galatia I could have told them exactly where you are but I didn't. I pretty much saved your life so in return I want you to at least tell me everything you know about Evalius."

To Aria's frustration, Myrtle merely chuckled. "You know Aria, before striking a deal with someone you should make sure they are willing to keep their end of the bargain."

Aria put her hand on her head, looking down in vexation. "So you are not going to tell me anything?"

"I really don't see a reason for you to be involved in any of this. From what I can tell, you do not seem to be the chosen."

Aria looked back at Myrtle feeling closer to the truth. "What does it mean to be chosen?"

Myrtle's eyes grew darker. "Trust me, Princess. You do not want to know."

"Fine," Aria muttered reaching into her backpack, pulling from it, Myrtle's wand. "If you refuse to tell me the truth then I will have to find a way to force it out."

Unalarmed, Myrtle responded, "So you've had my wand this entire time. I'll bet that something else you have kept from the other fairies."

"You don't seemed at all afraid of what I might do," Aria commented as she shook her head, studying Myrtle's almost cocky expression.

Ignoring this, Myrtle continued to smirk. "I must say you are a very naughty princess. Tell me, have you tried any magic with that wand before?"

"This will be the first time," Aria admitted hoping it would be as easy as it appeared in the movies.

"Alright then." Myrtle put both elbows on the table and rested her head on her hands. "Let's see what you can do."

_Reveal everything Myrtle knows about Evalius, _Aria thought repetitively as she waved and pointed the wand at Myrtle. At that moment, Aria felt herself jerked upwards. For a second it seemed as though she were floating. Instinctively, she closed her eyes as she felt herself go back down into a seated position. As Aria opened her she gasps at what she saw next. She found herself sitting down at a desk and across from this desk stood a girl who appeared just like her. Aria gawked at her look- alike self at a loss for words.

Her apparent replica spoke. "Well, Princess. Was this what you were trying to do?"

As Aria gazed down at the teacher's desk where she sat, examining her long hair turned dark brunette, she understood what she had done. She had not created a clone of herself. This magic caused Aria and Myrtle to switch bodies.

"Seeing as you seem even more startled by this than I am, I would say no," Myrtle commented as she played with her now golden long hair.

Aria tried her best to remain calm. "I don't understand. All I wanted to do was know what you know about Evalius. How did… well, this happen?"

Myrtle smiled. "You see Aria, princesses aren't meant to use magic. Only fairies and wizards are. As you can see, if a princess were to try performing magic, things might not go just as she plans."

Aria stood up from the desk. "So what, now we're just stuck like this, for good?"

"For now. At least until we can find someone to switch us back." Myrtle picked up the wand that had fallen on the floor and set it on the teacher's desk. "Unless, you want to see if magic would work better now that you are in a fairy's body."

Aria did not want to take any more chances with magic. Who knows what will happen next.

"We can go to the wizard Greg," Aria suggested running her fingers through her hair. "Maybe I can convince him not to tell the other fairies about you."

"I'm surprised you are still concerned about that," Myrtle said softly looking down. "The only problem now is that it is still the beginning of a school day. If we were both to leave unannounced before classes even begin people would wonder."

"I suppose we will have to spend the day pretending to be each other." Aria sighed already dreading this.

Myrtle raised her eyebrow. "Do you really feel comfortable with me pretending to be you all day?"

"What choice do I have?" Aria sat back down resting her head on her hand. "Besides, there's not much you can do to make my life worse now."

Myrtle smiled as she walked over to the door unlocking it, turning her head back to Aria and smugly added, "Well, we will see about that."


	16. Chapter 16 Freaky Friday

_Chapter 16_

_Freaky Friday_

Aria sat nervously at Myrtle's desk as she watched the students enter the classroom for Homeroom. As far as she can remember back, Aria has hated standing up in front of the class to speak about anything. Maybe as a teacher it would not be as bad. However, Aria's hearted still jumped, like always, when she realized all eyes were upon her, waiting for her to say something.

"Um, good morning class," Aria began fidgeting her fingers while looking down desperately trying to think of something to say, soon finding herself muttering, "I, um… not really sure how to begin."

"Don't you usually take roll, Ms. Malone?" Myrtle asked, sitting up straight with her hands folded on top of Aria's usual desk, smirking.

"Right! I should take roll." Aria shuffled through papers on Myrtle's desk, but could not find the list of students' names. She wanted to ask Myrtle where she kept it though it would seem too odd to the other students. "Well, I think everyone is here so I don't see a reason to go down the list."

"Edmund's not here," Kendal pointed out.

"Oh, right…_him,_" Aria muttered bitterly as she pretended to note this on a piece of paper. "Anyone else not here?"

A few students offered a small shrug but other than that Aria did not get much of an answer. Aria spent the next few minutes reading what she thought were the day's announcements, but they described events from last month at Sheerwood. Fortunately, no one seemed to be listening to her. Aria noticed most people were whispering to one another while looking sideways at the clock. A couple minutes before the bell rang, Aria heard books being shuffled around and the moment the _ding _sounded, the students stood up, chatting, ready to leave.

Aria sat down at the teacher's desk and called out, "Myr… er, Miss Rosenberg. Can I see you at my desk, please?"

Myrtle smiled as she threw Aria's backpack over her shoulder. "Certainly, Ms. Malone."

As Myrtle confidently marched up to the front of the classroom, Aria noticed Derek stop just outside the door to the classroom and remained there. Meanwhile, Vanessa, who had English next period, sat at her desk, arms crossed, staring intently at Aria and Myrtle. Aria felt slightly glad that despite everything both Vanessa and Derek still seemed to care. Since the other students were chattering so loudly, they could not hear the conversation that then took place between Aria and Myrtle.

"So what is it you would like to talk to me about," Myrtle asked, slightly smirking.

"What am I suppose to do now?" Aria asked her in frustration. "I could barely handle Homeroom. How am I supposed to teach English?"

Myrtle continued to smile. "You're in luck. Today we were going to watch Twilight, remember?"

A rush of relief swept through Aria seeing as this would not require her to try to lecture or even say anything in front of the class. This should be a pretty easy day for her.

Myrtle started to turn to leave but then added, "By the way, it would be extremely helpful if you graded yesterday's quizzes. Maybe then I would do too much damage to your reputation as long as I occupy your body."

Aria let out a sigh. "Fine, but how am I supposed to grade them. There's no answer key. They were all opinion questions."

"Easy," Myrtle replied. "If you agree with their answer then mark it correct and if you don't, mark it wrong."

"I can't just mark a student's answer wrong because I don't agree with it!" Aria protested trying not to raise her voice too much. "That's not right."

Myrtle shrugged. "Then just use your best judgment." She then turned. "I should probably go to class. You wouldn't want to receive a tardy on your record, would you?"

With that, Myrtle left. Aria noticed that Derek had gone before she even reached the door. There may have been a part of him that still cared for Aria, but that did not mean he desired to talk to her. Vanessa appeared more relaxed and now chatting with Karin, likely over the latest gossip.

Aria dug up the New Moon dvd and plugged it in. At first, she did not mind. Back in eighth grade, Aria had read all four books, mainly because Kendal strongly encouraged both her and Vanessa to do so. Though she may not have gotten as obsessed with the series as some of the other girls in her class, Aria still enjoyed them. By fifth period, however, after watching the same part of the movie four times and listening to the girls giggle every time Jacob first takes off his shirt, Aria did not think she could even stand to look at a Twilight poster without wanting to pull her hair out. Her annoyance with the movie began when she saw Vanessa, who Aria knew for a fact hated both the books and the movies, pretending to like it just because her new friends were obsessed. Grading the quizzes only piled on to this irritation. One question, 'What is your opinion of Edward Cullen,' resulted in common answers from guys as 'he sucks,' or 'douchebag.' The girls would either write an essay describing how perfect he is and how they would want a boyfriend just like him or write something like 'Edward sucks, go Team Jacob.' By the tenth quiz, Aria just started writing 'A' on each without even reading them. This had to be the longest day, ever, for her.

xXx

Living Aria's life drove in several curiosities for Myrtle, mostly about what makes teenagers act the way they do. In the other world, they were no cliques, having a boyfriend was not necessary unless the girl intended for marriage, and playing music made people admired and respected. Here, Aria's flute playing seemed to work against her, socially, yet she still did it. Myrtle mostly hung out with Aria's friend, Walter Price, and asked him some of these questions. Even though he seemed confused by her inquisitiveness, he still answered them best he could. However, Myrtle could not ask him the one question that puzzled her most. She recalled in Galatia, both Derek and Vanessa were willing to risk their lives for Aria yet now they ignored her. It seemed so odd to Myrtle, but still fascinating.

At lunch, Myrtle followed Walter to a table near the corner of the cafeteria and sat across from him. She assumed the two of them would sit alone, but that soon changed.

"Hey, is it okay if I sit here?" Kendal Lewis asked as she set her lunch tray down next to Myrtle.

Myrtle gazed up at her, curiously. "You don't usually sit with us, do you?"

Kendal sighed. "No, I guess I don't, but since Edmund's not here, I don't have anyone else to sit with."

Myrtle turned her gaze to Walter. "Well, I can't think of a reason to say no, can you?"

"Fine with me," Walter muttered as he glanced across the room at Vanessa, who did not appear pleased by this arrangement as she let out a cold stare towards their table.

Myrtle noticed Walter smile, only slightly, as she turned to Kendal and pointed out, "I can't help but notice how quickly our fellow classmates seemed to go from treating you like a queen to treating Vanessa as so."

Kendal rolled her eyes. "We're in high school, Aria. When you steal a popular girl's boyfriend, then you become popular, or at least that how it works at Sheerwood." Kendal paused, sighing at she looked down at her tray. "I forgot my drink. I'll be right back."

As she walked off, Myrtle leaned back in her chair, gazing about the boys in the room. "How interesting."

"What are you looking for?" Walter asked.

"I just wondering if I stole someone's boyfriend if that would make Ar… well, me more popular," Myrtle explained.

"Maybe," Walter replied looking at whom he thought was his friend with concern. "You're not seriously considering doing that, are you?"

Myrtle sighed. "No. I suppose she… I mean _I _wouldn't do something like that, would I? Too bad."

Walter frowned. "You've been acting really strange today, Aria. Some of the questions you've been asking make it seem as though you just arrived here from a different planet."

Myrtle merely chuckled at his choice of words. Walter had no idea how close that statement was to the truth. With interest, Myrtle continued to people watch. To her, there seemed to be so many odd, yet fascinating behaviors these students had. She noticed Kendal briefly cast a jealous glance at Vanessa and Ian as she brushed passed them.

"I wonder why people here have such difficulty being with the one they love," Myrtle pondered aloud.

Walter raised his eyebrow. "Here? Do you mean in high school?"

"Sure." Myrtle continued to gaze. "Well, I can tell that Ian still has feelings for Kendal, and she him, yet they remain apart. Clearly, Derek still cares for Ari…well me, but he refuses to speak to me, and Vanessa obviously likes you, but she chooses to remain with Ian. It all seems so strange."

"Aria, I'm sure you and Derek will work things out…" Walter began before the last part of Myrtle's statement hit him. "Wait, what makes you think Vanessa ever liked me as more than a friend?"

Before Myrtle had a chance to answer Kendal rejoined the table and chimed in with, "Wasn't she the one that asked you to the Homecoming Dance? That's what I heard. I remember that morning, I saw her pacing nervously back and forth by the lockers around the corner from yours."

"She has a point," Myrtle agreed. "People generally get nervous when talking with someone of whom they have feelings for."

"She was probably worried because she forgot her homework assignment or something like that," Walter protested avoiding eye contact. "She did make it clear we were going as just friends."

Kendal rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I use to see Vanessa forget to do her homework all the time and she never got nervous about it. She never cared. Besides, she would not have asked you to the dance if she didn't like you at least a little. If she hadn't decided to go after Ian, you two might have hit it off that night."

Myrtle pondered this, her eyes lighting up as she got an interesting theory to test. She turned to Kendal and pointed out, "I understand that when Vanessa kissed Ian, you got upset because you were attached to him and did not want to see him with anyone else."

"Obviously." Kendal turned her glance from Walter to Myrtle. "Do you have another point besides just bringing it up to upset me?"

Slightly smug, Myrtle explained, "I was just thinking that if someone were to kiss Walter, then Vanessa's reaction, whatever it may be, will determine whether or not she does like him."

"Aria, what are you talking about? That's ridiculous," Walter commented though his expression appeared somewhat intrigued.

But Kendal seemed be with Myrtle on this as she smirked. "I guess there is only one way we can know for sure."

Before Walter had a chance to react, Kendal rose leaning across the table, grabbing his shirt and planting a heavy passionate kiss on him. Myrtle turned her head towards Vanessa to see if she was looking. Sure enough, Vanessa happened to be gazing right in their direction as Kendal kissed Walter. Myrtle observed as her eyes grew darker, blood flowing to her cheeks making them redder. She then stood straight up, slamming her sandwich on the table, and stormed out of the cafeteria in rage. Still leaning across the table, Kendal turned her head just in time to see Vanessa's reaction and smiled in satisfaction.

"Well," Myrtle commented amused. "It seems we have our answer."

"I suppose we do," Walter mumbled, readjusting his glasses, as he stared off, awed, to the doors Vanessa recently departed from.

Trying to determine what Aria would do in this situation, Myrtle rose up announcing, "I should probably go after her."

Myrtle left to find a furious Vanessa in the hall, lightly pounding her fist against the wall. When she caught sight of who she thought was Aria, her flames rose even greater.

"Why did you let _her _sit with you?" Vanessa demanded as she turned to face Myrtle. "You know she'll do anything to make my life miserable!" 

Myrtle raised her eyebrow. "I don't see how she was trying to make you miserable."

Ignoring her, Vanessa began pacing as she ranted on, "I thought Kendal was still with Edmund. What was she doing kissing Walter like that? I wish Edmund would just go ahead and do whatever he was planning on doing to her!"

"That's a dangerous thing to wish for," Myrtle commented softly. "Besides, why does Kendal kissing Walter matter to you?"

"Because the only reason she did it was to upset me," Vanessa answered bitterly.

"Clearly it worked," Myrtle pointed out, suppressing. "Though I still don't see why it would upset you. Unless, perhaps you like Walter."

Vanessa turned to face her. "What are you talking about, Aria? I just like Walter as a friend, or at least, that's how it used to be." She paused putting her hand on her forehead. "I just don't want him to be with Kendal."

"And why would that be?" Myrtle asked.

"Because…it's just that," Vanessa sighed, desperately trying to think of a reason. "You know what, forget it. If Walter wants to date that bitch then he can suffer through it. I don't care!"

With that, Vanessa stormed off, still red. Myrtle could not help but be fascinated by all the romantic drama this school seemed to endure. It most definitely was not dull like Galatia, where two people meet, instantly fell in love, and married to live happily ever after.

"How did you manage to get Vanessa even more upset?" uttered an exasperated voice from behind Myrtle.

Myrtle turned to see Aria heading down the hall towards her, still in her body. It still felt quite odd for Myrtle to be looking at herself.

"I did not do anything to her," Myrtle replied innocently. "I believe it was Kendal leaning across the table to kiss Walter that set her off."

"Kendal kissed Walter!" Aria stammered, before letting out a heavy breath. "Of course she did. As if there wasn't already enough drama in this school. Why did she even do it?" Aria then paused, beginning to look hopeful. "Does that mean she and Edmund are over?"

Myrtle laughed. "I seriously doubt that. I think her main goal was to make you red-haired friend jealous."

Aria let out a frustrated sigh, looking down, her hands on her hips.

"Well, once we go to Galatia and get our own bodies back, you can try to fix whatever problems your friends are having. You'll be ready to leave right after school lets out?"

"Actually, I've been thinking…" Aria paused to consider her words. "I think I will go to Evalius, while I'm still in your body."

Myrtle felt her body, or well Aria's body, go cold. "You want to go to Evalius?"

"Yes," Aria spoke with more confidence. "If I am going to ever figure out what's going on then I need to see this Evalius place for myself."

"Wait, Aria," Myrtle pleaded desperately. "Don't go. I'll tell you everything you want to know about Evalius."

"You know what? It's a little too late for that. I want to see for myself what everyone is so afraid of." Aria broke, momentarily, to study Myrtle's unsettled expression. "Besides, I'm still not one hundred percent sure I can trust you to tell me the truth. After school lets out, I want you to go straight to my house and wait for me there."

"Fine," Myrtle gave in, defeated. "Go to Evalius if you must, but let me warn you, Princess, you will not like what you find there."

"I'm not counting on it being a pleasant trip," Aria muttered but refused to be dissuaded. Today, she would see for herself the wonder and potential evil that Evalius had to offer.


	17. Chapter 17 Revealed

_Chapter 17_

_Revealed_

Aria sat down at Myrtle's desk and prepared, yet again, to endure the first forty minutes of the New Moon film. Fortunately, since Myrtle did not have an eighth period class, this would be the last time she would have to watch it. The moment this class ended, Aria planned to leave for Evalius.

As the students walked in and sat down, Aria stood up and announced, "Well class, as you've probably already heard by now, today we are watching the second Twilight film."

This resulted in squeals by a few of the girls while most guys just groaned.

"Try watching it six times in one day," Aria muttered to the guys as she picked up the DVD remote. "Okay, so I'm just going to hit play, and I really don't care whether or not you take notes or even pay attention, so…"

"Um, excuse me, Ms. Malone?"

Aria turned her head to see Myrtle with her hand raised. "Yes, Miss Rosenberg?"

Myrtle smiled. "I think everyone who wants to see this movie has already seen it, so I think we would make better use of our time by having a class discussion, don't you agree?"

Some students oddly glanced over at who they thought was Aria her with newfound confidence. Aria had never been one to speak up much in class unless called on for an answer.

Even though Aria had a feeling she may regret this, she nodded at Myrtle. "Very well, we can have a class discussion on the book. Miss Rosenberg, since this was your idea, why don't you pose the first question?"

With aplomb, Myrtle beamed. "There are several curiosities I have about this series, that so many people are drawn to, but one artifact particularly stands out."

"And what might that be?" Aria asked, wondering where she was going with this.

"Vampires," Myrtle answered simply. "Usually they are depicted as dangerous, blood-lusting predators, but here they are used as a romantic interest. I guess I'm just wondering why, here, so many girls are intrigued by the idea of having this undead creature as a mate."

Before Aria had a chance to say anything, Derek spoke bitterly, "That's an easy answer. It's because girls want a perfect boyfriend. Even though the guy is this book is a vampire, he still acts perfectly. He treats Bella like a princess. This book sets expectations for boyfriends that no normal guy can live up to."

Myrtle turned in her desk to face him. "So you believe that every girl wants a perfect boyfriend, like this Edward Cullen, even me?"

"Especially you," Derek retorted. "You of all people…"

"Stop!" Aria interjected holding up her hand. "It seems like maybe you two should talk about this later, alone." Aria put her hand back down as she nervously stacked some papers on the desk. "Well class, I think that wraps up this discussion. How about we just have a study hall for the rest of the period? I don't care if you talk during it." 

Some students did chat, though softly, avoiding conversation with both Derek and who they assumed to be Aria. The real Aria remained seated with her head in her hands until the bell rang. She wanted to kick herself for agreeing to this discussion. With Myrtle, of course something like this would happen.

Once the bell rang, each student got up and left. Aria noticed Derek and Myrtle stop in the hall just outside the classroom. Dreading their next conversation, Aria, cautiously tiptoed to the room door, opening it, just a crack.

"Well, it seems my curiosities have finally been satisfied," Aria heard Myrtle saying to Derek. "I think I figured out why you have been so cold to… well, me. I could not help but notice your tone when you said 'perfect boyfriend.' You believe that is the kind of boyfriend I want."

Aria gasped. Surely that could not be true.

Nevertheless, Derek replied, "Isn't that what you want, Aria? You are a princess, after all. Wouldn't you prefer Prince Charming over some high school jock. Why else would you keep the ball a secret from me?"

"If I did want a prince then I would go out and find a prince," Myrtle stated, flatly. "Was there not a, as you might say, 'perfect prince' here earlier this week. If that was what I wanted, then would I not be with him now?"

Her ear keen near the door, Aria listened carefully. Was Myrtle actually trying to help her?

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Derek admitted. "But that still doesn't change the fact that you lied to me."

Myrtle sighed. "I suppose I was just trying to protect your feelings. It does seem like something _I _would do. Would it help if I said I was sorry?"

Though Aria did not see him, she imagined Derek nodded based on what he said next. "A little. I just don't want you to lie to me anymore. From now on, if there's some ball your parents are forcing you to go to, just tell me. I can handle it."

Aria pictured Myrtle raising her eyebrow. "Really? You wouldn't think I may be after _Prince Charming?"_

"I'm sorry. I should have trusted more," Derek admitted and paused for a few moments before asking, "Do you want to go somewhere after school so we can talk?"

"Actually I have something I must do after school. Besides, maybe it's better we talk a different day. I am not exactly feeling like myself right now."

"Okay," Derek agreed. "Call you tomorrow?"

Myrtle agreed and Aria heard Derek's footsteps move farther away. Aria gently closed the door and backed away still in shock. Shortly after, the door was reopened by Myrtle.

"Well, I can't believe I'm about to say this, Myrtle, but thank you." Aria still felt slightly suspicious. "Why did you help me get back together with Derek?"

Myrtle smiled, but only a little. "I was hoping you would be willing to do a small favor in return. I understand that you need to see for yourself, exactly what Evalius is else you will never be content. All I ask is that you do not get me into too much trouble while you are there."

Aria could not but smile as she recalled Myrtle's own words. "You know, before striking a deal with someone, you should be sure that person is willing to keep their end of the bargain."

"I trust you being the noble princess you are will do the right thing."

"I promise I will be careful while I'm there," Aria assured. "I just want to see what all the fuss is about. How bad can it really be? It is in a fairy tale world."

"There are still many things you have to learn about the other world," Myrtle said as she headed towards the door. "By the way, the ruler of Evalius is known as Lord Argarian. He is the one you will want to find out about. Oh, and you might want to take my wand. Since you are now in a fairy's body it's magic should work better for you."

"Thank you, Myrtle," Aria said as Myrtle left the room, closing the door behind her.

Since Aria did not have an eighth period English class, she was free to go as she pleased. She grabbed the wand and took Myrtle light blue corvette straight down town. Having still only a learner's permit, Aria did not exactly feel comfortable driving so she used the best method she knew for avoiding accidents. That was to avoid getting too close to others cars as much as possible.

When she arrived at the building downtown, Aria went through the normal procedure for getting into the other world. Only this time instead of heading in the normal direction towards Galatia, she went the opposite way. Aria spotted signs for other kingdoms, but none of them read Evalius, though as her surroundings grew darker, the grass appearing less green, trees loosing leaves, and overall not nearly as bright and colorful, she had a feeling she was heading the right way. Soon, as she walked on cracked, drought-ridden grounds, Aria read a crooked dull, wooden sign, 'Evalius. Turn Back.'

As Aria's eyes peeked about, she felt as though she had been placed out of a fairy tale and into a horror film. Now, all the trees were dead and bare, no grass, only severed lands. Even the sky seemed to have a reddish tinge to it. She spotted a dark castle in the distance, but Aria was not sure she wanted to go any farther.

"Ah, Myrtle," came a familiar man's voice from behind her. "I never expected to see you so close to my kingdom ever again."

Slowly, Aria turned her head to see a back stallion. Upon it, was a man who she immediately recognized him and suspected he was the ruler she searched for. Aria almost wanted to kick herself for not thinking of him before. Come to think of it, there recently has person who briefly visited Sheerwood that seemed out of place and acted suspiciously. That man was Mr. Evans.


	18. Chapter 18 The Truth About Evalius

_Chapter 18_

_The Truth About Evalius_

Aria stood, stunned. She had no idea what to do or even say next. Recalling the day Mr. Evans made his first appearance and how he gave her the creeps, Aria had the sensation that he would be challenging to deal with as a villain.

"So Myrtle, the one that got away," Mr. Evans, known here as Lord Argarion, continued, "You have not yet told me why you have come back."

Aria's insides leaped as she had just remembered she still remained in Myrtle's body. She desperately tried to pull herself together but her mind continued to run wild. What did he mean by _one that got away?_

"Um, you have a plan," Aria stated attempting not to come off as too anxious. "And it involves the other world. Am I right?"

He smirked quite viciously in his velvet red robes. "I see you are as clever as ever, Myrtle for you are quite right. I have grown quite tired of choosing a young girl from this world so I have decided to look elsewhere. I must say, I have found quite the vivacious young lady. Strong, free-spirited she is, a lot like you. This girl will be perfect for my next bride."

Concealing as much emotion as possible, Aria reflected over everything he revealed. At last everything was starting to come together. Lord Argarion came to her world in search of a bride and his eyes fell on Kendal. That definitely explained all the flirting as well when he was there as Mr. Evans. Since student –teacher relationships are inappropriate Argarion must have sent Edmund there to lure Kendal to him.

"Well, I best be off." Lord Argarion repositioned himself on his horse. "It was good to see you again, Myrtle."

As he rode off, Aria felt a series of chills run down her spine. It turns out, this man is even worse than she thought he was when first seeing him.

"Aria?" a comforting familiar voice called from behind. "Is that you?"

"Adora!" Aria smiled, never more glad to see her redheaded fairy friend. "How did you know it's me?"

"We could sense that you had come to this world so I used my wand to track you and it led me here," Adora explained in distress, beads of sweat on her forehead. "What are you doing so close to Evalius and how did you end up in Myrtle's body?"

"Well, since no one would tell me about Evalius I wanted to find out for myself what it is all about," Aria replied stubbornly, then softening. "I used Myrtle's wand to try to get the information I needed from her and…"

"You used Myrtle's wand? Aria, princesses are not suppose to perform magic. It can go terribly wrong!"

Aria ran her fingers through her hair, looking down. "Yeah, I know that now."

Adora's disappointed rage only seemed to build up. "What were you even doing with Myrtle's wand in the first place? You told us it was lost!" She paused growing redder in the face as she realized something else. "Us fairies would have known if you had used Myrtle's wand in this world so you must have done it in yours, which means Myrtle is there. How long has she been there? Instead of using magic on her, you should have immediately come to us and tell us where she is!"

Aria felt her own body fume. "So what, so you and your sister fairies can kill her? I won't let that happen!"

"Aria, she is evil." Adora put her hand up trying to sound calmer. "My sisters and I are prepared to so whatever it takes to keep you safe. As long as Myrtle lives you are in danger."

"If she wanted to do something bad to me she probably would have done so by now."

Adora gasped. "Has she been there a long time?"

Aria met her eyes. "Ever since before the ball. She told me some interesting things about this world. Apparently _my_ story here is over so I guess I don't have to worry about her anymore."

Adora sighed as she gazed down. "So I guess you know the truth about how things work here. Still, this is different. Every other time, the prince slays both the dragon and the witch and he and the princess live happily ever after. Verna believes getting mixed up with another dimension messed your story up."

Aria gazed up as she then inquired, "I've also been wondering, since you fairies seem to know how everything turns out in the end, why did you send me to another dimension if you already knew Myrtle was going to lose?"

Adora considered her words. "It's difficult to explain. All the other fairies that turned bad and tried to kill the princess were merely upset about not being invited to her celebration. With Myrtle, it was more complicated than that. Unlike any of the other fairies before her, she had ties with Evalius. Verna feared it may affect the outcome of your happily ever after."

"So let me get this straight." Aria put her hand on her head as she absorbed this. "Lord Argarion was the one who turned Myrtle evil."

Adora nodded sadly. "That was what I was told, but I do not know the details about what happened while she was in Evalius or what led her there in the first place."

_But Myrtle does, _Aria thought to herself, instead asking, "So in Galatia good triumphs evil, always. Does that mean in places such as Evalius, evil always wins?"

"Yes, Aria." Adora's eyes grew in plead. "That is why you must stay away from there before Lord Argarion chooses his next victim."

"He already has," Aria muttered softly thinking of Kendal.

Adora grabbed her arm. "Its not you, is it?"

Aria shook her head. "It's my frie… well, a classmate."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Adora uttered, "Oh, thank goodness. The best thing you can do now is stay out this. If you were to get involved, something terrible may happen to you as well."

"I can't just sit back knowing something bad is going to happen to someone and not do anything about it," Aria protested.

"Well, if you can keep your friend from coming into this world she will likely be fine, but with Myrtle there that may be difficult."

"Myrtle's not the one aiding Lord Argarion. It's Edmund," Aria informed her.

"Still, it would be better for your sake if you were to let us take care of Myrtle, Aria."

Aria felt her anger rise, yet again. "I'm not going to let you kill her! Besides, this isn't even about me anymore, it's about Kendal."

Aria stopped to think of the irony of this situation. Kendal always acted as though the world revolved around her. Now, that there was, in fact, something all about her, Kendal remained completely unaware of this.

Adora broke the silence. "What am I suppose to do, Aria, not tell the other fairies about Myrtle?"

"Yes, please, Adora," Aria begged. "I might need her help to figure the rest of this out. Please, just pretend like you don't know about Myrtle."

Adora raised her eyebrow. "You really believed she's changed, don't you?"

Aria nodded, still wearing her puppy-dog face.

Adora sighed. "Fine. I really should not be doing this, but to be quite honest, I have no idea how to handle this situation. However, if Myrtle does try anything, us fairies will have no choice but to get involved. You do understand, right, Aria?"

"Yes, thank you, Adora," Aria replied gratefully, and then paused to look down at her body. "Do you by any chance know a way I can get back into my own body?"

"Now that you are in a fairy's body, that wand should do whatever you want now," Adora explained as she let out a sigh.

"Really?" Aria huffed out a frustrated breath. "Why didn't Myrtle just tell me that?"

Adora smiled, trying to hide the smirk. "Still quick to trust your new friend?"

"She probably just wanted to see what it was like to be me for a day," Aria suspected. "Besides, aside from manipulating Kendal into kissing Walter, she didn't do anything too bad. She even helped me make up with Derek."

Adora frowned. "I did not realize you and Derek were having problems."

"Yeah, well when you go to a ball filled with perfect princes wanting your hand in marriage, your boyfriend tends to get kind of upset," Aria grumbled.

Adora briefly put her hand on her head. "I tried to tell Verna the ball was a bad idea. She just would not listen. Her word always must go."

Aria sighed. It seemed like of all the fairies, Adora was the one with the best judgment. Not wanting to start a mutiny among the sister fairies, she did not point this out.

Instead she asked, "If I were to use this want to get me back to the lake, would it work?"

"Your wand should get you wherever you need to go as long as it's in this world," Adora replied. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Aria shook her head. "No. I want to talk to Myrtle alone. Just please do not tell the others fairies about her, okay?"

Aria felt relief, as the last thing she observed before disappearing was Adora nodding sincerely. Reappearing in front of the lake, Aria gazed down at the wand surprised that it actually worked. She stepped into the lake prepared for that uncomfortable jerking feeling, found Myrtle's car where she parked it, and drove back to her house. Checking the time in the car, Aria saw that it was 7:30 pm. She found that she disliked driving even more in the darkness than in daylight.

As she pulled up in front of her own home and knocked on the door, Aria tried to think of a believable explanation to tell her parents.

Elizabeth opened the door, confused, but still smiled. "Um, hello."

"Hi, Mrs. Rosenberg." Aria ignored the odd feeling of referring to her own mom as _Mrs. Rosenberg_ as she continued, "I am Ms. Malone, Aria's English teacher. I, um… I was incredibly impressed with a poem she wrote for class and wanted to talk to her about entering it in a contest."

Elizabeth's befuddled expression only seemed to heighten, but nevertheless she opened the door wider so Aria could come in.

"Aria!" Elizabeth called the girl she thought was her daughter upstairs. "You teacher is here to discuss a poem you wrote."

Myrtle appeared at the stairway and gracefully walked down, smiling. "Is she now? Yes, I meant to tell you about that, Mom. Well, I suspect Ms. Malone, right now, will want to discuss this poem with me alone." She directed her gaze to Aria. "Am I right?"

"Yes," Aria agreed gratefully. "Yes, we should talk alone."

Elizabeth showed them to the dining room, closing the doors behind her.

"So," Myrtle began, standing on one side of the table. "Did you find out what you needed to know?"

"Most of it, but there are still some questions I want to ask you." Aria checked to make sure the doors were shut tight. "First, I want to switch us back into our own bodies."

Aria waved the wand transferring her self back into her own body and Myrtle hers. She let out a breath of relief as she looked down and ran her fingers down her long golden hair once again. It felt so good to be her again. Looking over to Myrtle, Aria could tell she felt the same way.

After a few moments of silence Myrtle broke it saying, "I suppose I may as well tell you everything, now, but first, why don't you tell me what you already know?"

Aria put her hands on the table, as she sat down on the chair, trying to recall everything she learned. "I remember you telling me that in Galatia good always wins so since everyone is so afraid of Evalius I figured that it is just the opposite there, where evil always wins."

Myrtle nodded as she seated herself. "You are quite right. Unlike Galatia, in Evalius there are no happy endings. There, everything always ends in tragedy. That is why stories from Evalius and lands similar do not always make it to this world, unlike your story. I doubt any parent here would want to read a bedtime story to their child about an evil dictator that always wins."

Aria nodded, part of her glad she finally understood, but she still had one question. "What happens when a girl gets chosen to be Lord Argarion's bride?"

"You see, Aria. Lord Argarion has been around for thousands of years," Myrtle explained as she rested her arm on the table.

"How is that possible," Aria asked as she pictured the dark haired muscular man who rode the horse. "He looks like he's about thirty. Is he immortal or something?"

Myrtle shook her head. "No, he is not immortal. He has his own way of staying youthful."

"How?"

Myrtle looked deeply into her eyes as she answered, "His brides. Every ten years he chooses a beautiful young girl to be his bride. At the ceremony he has his priest perform a ritual that allows him to steal her youth, leaving the girl nothing more than bones."

Aria gasped throwing her hand over her mouth. "So that's what Kendal has been chosen for, to be his bride so he can stay young?"

Myrtle nodded. "Once he gets her into Evalius, she is as good as dead."

Aria pounded her fist against the table. "How does he choose his bride? Why did he come here of all places?"

Myrtle shrugged. "Usually he chooses a girl from his own kingdom, but every now and then, Lord Argarion becomes bored with that and decides to try something different, maybe a girl from another kingdom, or another world in this case," She paused and added more darkly, "or maybe a young inexperienced fairy."

Aria looked up directly at Myrtle. "He choose you once, didn't he? Adora said you had a connection with Evalius. That was it, wasn't it? You were once chosen to be Lord Argarion's bride!"

Myrtle nodded solemnly. "Yes, Princess, you are correct. A long time ago I was indeed chosen to be his bride."

Aria looked down, still thinking. "But I don't understand. You said there were no happy endings in Evalius, yet obviously you somehow managed to get away from him."

"I wouldn't exactly call my escaping a happy ending," Myrtle pointed out, raising her eyebrow. "Would you?"

Aria's eyes turned back to Myrtle, as she finally understood. "That was when you turned, wasn't it?"

"You have to understand, Aria, it took quite a bit of dark magic to escape from that place. I had to kill five of Lord Argarion's men in the process. Since it is unacceptable to a fairy to commit murder, once I escaped I was then expelled from the sisterhood of the fairies, forever." Myrtle stared down at the floor as she added bitterly, "I tried so hard to escape from that God-forsaken place to get back to the one family I knew only to be turned away by them. I don't think I ever felt more rage in my entire life then I did that day."

"But don't they know that you only killed in self-defense?" Aria demanded. "That you had to do whatever it took to get out of there?"

"A fairy is destined to protect life," Myrtle informed. "For one to take life away instead is an abomination. That was how Verna saw it."

Aria continued to ponder over this, now at a loss for words. Even though she at last knew everything she needed, Aria still had no idea how to save Kendal from this fate.

"There has to be a way to stop him," Aria muttered softly, looking up to Myrtle for advice.

Instead of staying to chat, Myrtle rose and walked to the door. "I am afraid that is not possible, Aria. Your friend's fate is sealed. The only thing you can do now is continue on with your own life and be grateful that you were not chosen."


	19. Chapter 19 The Party

_Chapter 19_

_The Party_

Aria woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. Glancing at the time, she realized it was already past noon. Even though Aria took the sleeping potion Adora gave her, it still took a while for her to actually fall asleep, but apparently it kept her asleep.

"Hello?" Aria answered, groggily, as she picked up her phone.

"Hey Aria, it's Derek. Did I wake you? You sound tired."

"Yeah, but its okay," Aria replied, sitting up in her bed. "I should be awake by now anyway."

"You haven't slept like this in a while," Derek commented.

Aria put her hand on her head debating whether or not to tell Derek of Evalius and Lord Argarion. "I kind of had a long night."

"Oh, okay," Derek replied understanding, not prying for details. "Did you still want to meet somewhere so we can talk?"

"Yeah, definitely," Aria answered, eager to make things right between them. "I'm kind of swamped today. How about we meet for lunch tomorrow?"

"Sounds good. I'll call you tomorrow. If I call at one do you think you'll be awake?"

Aria could not help but grin. "Yes, I'll definitely be awake by then. Well, I guess I should go now."

Before Aria hung up, Derek asked, "Hey, are you going to the party tonight?"

"You mean Vanessa's party?" Aria responded confused. "No, I seriously doubt Vanessa would even want me there."

"Come on, she's still your best friend. I know things are a little different, but I think it's for the better now that our best friends are dating. We can all hang out together more, unlike when Ian was still with Kendal."

"I still don't think she should even be having this party. If her parents find out, she will get in so much trouble," Aria pointed out. "I think its better we just don't have anything to do with it. You weren't planning on going, were you?"

"No, of course not," Derek assured quickly. "Especially if you don't go. Well, I guess I should go now."

"Wait, before you hang up, do you by any chance have Kendal's cell number?" Aria asked knowing she would receive a confused reaction in response.

"Um, I think I deleted it after she dumped Ian. I can ask Ian if he still has it," Derek answered then thought about what she just asked. "Wait, why do you want to talk to Kendal?"

"I just need to figure out a way to convince her Edmund is bad news, especially now."

"Why now, did you find out something more?" Derek demanded.

Aria sighed as she figured she might as well tell him everything she learned from her trip to Evalius and her little switch with Myrtle.

"So you were in Myrtle's body all of yesterday. Well, that sure explains a lot," Derek commented, once Aria finished explaining, before turning his focus to the more important information. "So you are sure this Lord Argarion guy is after Kendal, right? Not You?"

When Aria voiced affirmation, Derek began to breathe in relief.

"Don't you dare sound relieved by this," Aria warned annoyed. "This is still bad. Kendal is in real trouble, more so than I was when Edmund came after me."

"Okay, well then just warn her Edmund is dangerous and she could end up in a lot of trouble if she stays with him. If she chooses not to listen to you then it's her problem."

"I don't know how to do that without sounding like a jealous ex-girlfriend," Aria complained in frustration.

"Yeah, it will probably look that way to the rest of the school, too," Derek muttered.

"I really don't care what my classmates think of me right now. I just need to focus on this."

"Okay, well, I'll see if I can get Kendal's number from Ian and then I'll text it to you," Derek assured, but then pleaded, "But please, Aria, try not to get too involved if this. You don't want to get in trouble when you can easily avoid it, especially for someone who is not really your friend."

"Fine," Aria agreed as she hung up, irritated.

Aria found herself wishing that Lord Argarion did choose her to be his bride. Then, at least Derek, the fairies, and maybe even Vanessa would be more eager to help. She waited for Derek to send her Kendal's number, but by the time the sun went down, Aria had still not received a text from him. She could not say she was surprised. Derek likely believed he was protecting her but forcing her to stay out of this.

Feeling her stomach rumble, Aria went downstairs to grab some food. She found her father standing in the living room in a suit and tie.

"Oh, right. It's date night," Aria commented.

Ted beamed. "Yes, it sure is. Tonight, I thought I would take your mother out for Thai food. I know this really fancy place downtown."

"That sounds nice," Aria responded, softly.

"Alright, Ted. I'm ready," Elizabeth said, as she entered the room in her sleek black knee length dress. She then turned to her daughter with concern. "Aria, are you sure you will okay by yourself. You usually go over to Vanessa's tonight."

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I think I just want to rest tonight."

"Yeah, honey, she had to wake up early today. Noon, wasn't it? Our little Aria must be exhausted," Ted chimed in, jokingly.

"Ha ha." Aria rolled her eyes but still smiled. "Actually I do have a lot of homework."

Elizabeth frowned as she glanced out the window across the street. "Vanessa doesn't seem to be concerned about homework. It looks like she's having a few friends over. Are you sure you don't want to go over there with them?"

"Yeah I'm sure," Aria replied, trying not to sound too annoyed. "It's not like Vanessa and I only hang out with each other."

Fortunately Elizabeth seemed to accept this. "Okay then. Well, if anything happens, call us. We should be home around eleven."

Aria bade her parents' farewell thankful they left just before the party across the street got louder. The noise seemed to accumulate more and more as the night progressed. It was as though the entire school were at that house. Aria sat on the couch turning up the television in attempt to drown out the outside sound. The TV was so loud, she barely heard the doorbell ringing.

As Aria hit the mute button, she reluctantly headed towards the front door. If it was Vanessa wanting her to join the party she could forget it, but when Aria opened the door, she found that it was not her old friend. Instead, it was Kendal, apparently drenched in a chocolate shake.

"Can I use your shower?" Kendal asked, grudgingly.

Aria starred a coupled seconds before quickly saying, "Um, sure." She opened the door wider. "Come in… uh, who did that?"

"Who do you think?" Kendal replied, bitterly, as she followed Aria up the stairs. "Vanessa gives this sincere invitation saying she is truly sorry about Ian, and how she misses when we were friends. I was stupid enough to believe she actually meant it so I went and when I got there, I found Vanessa in her kitchen with Karin and a bunch of other sluts so wasted they can barely form a sentence without slurring. She comes up to me holding a milkshake, saying this is for the kiddy parties and then dumps it all over me! They're probably still laughing about it as we speak."

Aria gasped. "They're drinking over there?"

"You bet. I guess Vanessa must have figured out a way to get into her parents liquor cabinet and some of our classmates' older siblings probably brought beer with them."

Aria could not believe her ears. What was Vanessa thinking? Was she that determined to prove she could throw the coolest party? She obviously never considered the kind of trouble irresponsible drinking could get people into, especially teenagers.

"I'll be right back," Aria told Kendal as she shut the bathroom door. "When you're done just pick out anything you want from my closet."

As Kendal called out 'okay, thanks' Aria waited until she heard the water turn on before leaving. She walked across the street trying to come up with the best way to handle this. She could threaten to call the police, but Vanessa knew her well enough to know that she did not actually have the guts to do so. Approaching Vanessa's house, Aria briefly glanced down at the end of her street, where Adora use to live, desperately wishing she were still there. Adora would know just what to do in this situation.

Normally, Aria would have knocked on the front door, but since it was already open, she marched right on in. The music was so loud Aria could feel it pounding inside her head, making it difficult to think. She saw people she did not recognize dancing wildly in the hall and family room, clearly tipsy. Spilt bottles of various alcohols lay almost every few feet about the house. Aria found Vanessa still in the kitchen sitting up on the counter, giggling loudly with Karin, a plastic cup in her hand, likely filled with beer since a can of Bud Light sat on her other side.

As Vanessa looked up to see her friend she beamed, sliding off the counter to hug her. "Aria, you came! Oops, sorry about that," Vanessa apologized as she stumbled spilling beer on the floor in front of Aria. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Aria did not return the smile or the embrace. "Do you want to tell me why Kendal came over to my house covered in a chocolate shake?"

Vanessa put her hand over her mouth, laughing. "You got to see her? Wasn't that hilarious. Where is she now?"

Aria crossed her arms. "In my house taking a shower."

"You let her use your shower?" Vanessa demanded, bewildered. "Aria, why did you do that?"

"The question is why did she need to use my shower is the first place," Aria pointed out, angrily.

Vanessa drunkenly waved her hand until it landed on Aria's shoulder. "Relax, Aria! It was just a joke. I guess it wasn't the best prank we could have pulled."

"Yeah, you should tell her what we were originally planning to do to her," Karin chimed in from the other side of the kitchen.

Aria looked at Vanessa sharply. "What were you planning to do?"

Vanessa leaned in closer to Aria, lowering her voice. "You remember Mr. Evans, right?"

_Too well,_ Aria thought but just nodded.

Vanessa continued. "Well, we all saw how he and Kendal were like totally flirting with each other that whole day. So, we were going to photoshop a picture of Kendal and Mr. Evans _together,_ if you know what I mean, and blow it up and put it by the front door so everyone can see it as they come it. Unfortunately, we couldn't figure out the photoshop on my computer so it didn't work out."

Aria gawked at her friend speechless. How could she come up with something this despicable? It was ever worse hearing it now for Aria since she learned the truth about _Mr. Evans._

For some reason, Vanessa appeared stupefied by Aria's reaction. "What's wrong, Aria? Don't you think it's funny?"

Aria finally found her words as her blood boiled. "Funny? I'm supposed to think that is funny? It's completely sick! How could you even think to do that to someone?"

"You seem to be forgetting its Kendal," Vanessa pointed out. "Don't you remember all the things she's done to us? She deserves it."

"No one deserves that!" Aria fumed. "It you only knew…"

"If I only knew what?" Vanessa demanded, no longer giggling.

"Never mind," Aria muttered bitterly. "It's not like you would help me anyway. I'm out of here."

"Fine. If you don't want to have fun then just leave!"

Without another word Aria stormed out of the kitchen. Never in her life had she felt this much rage. She did not believe it possible to become any angrier. As she glanced in the living on her way out, Aria found that she was wrong.

"Derek! What are you doing here? I thought you said you weren't coming."

Derek sat slumped on the sofa holding a can of Bud Light, several empty cans surrounding him. Several girls sat around him, a couple on the other side of the couch and the rest on the floor. He glanced up at his girlfriend, not appearing even the slightest bit startled or upset to see her.

"What?" Derek slurred barely, making eye contact. "You c… can go to a, uh, ball without t… telling me, but I can't go to a party without, without telling you?"

"Oh my God!" Aria stammered, her hands on her hips. "You're even more drunk than Vanessa!"

"Does it bother you, that I, um… that I came to dance w… with other girls?"

Several of the girls began to giggle furiously.

Aria held her hand up in attempt to calm down. "Okay, I get it. You are still upset with me about the ball. We were going to talk about it tomorrow, remember?"

"Let's talk now," Derek suggested, attempting to meet her eyes but could not focus his.

Aria felt her rage rise yet again. "I'm am not going to discuss our relationship when you are completely wasted!"

"I'm not wasted," Derek defended.

"Oh, yeah. If you can close your eyes and touch your index finger on your nose, then we can talk tonight."

"What?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought!" Aria felt her flames burn wildly as she began to walk away but first turned around and added, "Oh, and as far as our relationship goes, Derek. You can consider it over!"

As Aria stormed back across the street to her own home, her entire body shook in fury. She entered her house, slamming the door behind her then fell against it, slowing sinking to the ground, still quivering. She felt unsure whether to cry or grab a flower vase and thrash it against the wall. This entire week, Aria wanted nothing more than to have Derek back, but now her own words forced him away yet again. As furious as Aria was at her boyfriend right now, a tiny part of her knew that she would deeply regret the last sentence she uttered to him.


	20. Chapter 20 Rekindled

_Chapter 20_

_Rekindled _

Still recovering from both shock and anger, Aria slowly walked up the stairs towards her bedroom. She had only just remembered Kendal was still there when she heard footsteps from upstairs. Reminding herself that it she was angry with Vanessa and Derek and not Kendal, Aria knocked on her bedroom door.

"Aria?" Kendal's voice answered. "You can come in."

Aria entered and found Kendal standing by the mirror in Aria's worn jeans and a white long sleeve shirt, ringing out her wet hair with a towel.

"You know you could have picked out something nicer than that if you wanted," Aria commented on her old clothes.

Kendal shrugged. "It's okay. I didn't want to take anything too nice since I probably won't be able to return until at least tomorrow."

_That was surprisingly thoughtful of her,_ Aria thought, and then thinking of Vanessa and Myrtle. _It's amazing how much people can change._

Kendal hung the towel back up and started to walk towards the door. "Well, I should probably go back home. Thanks for letting me use your shower."

"Wait," Aria said suddenly getting an idea. "How will you get home?"

"I was just going to walk. I don't live that far away, remember?"

"Yeah, but still, it's dark, and it's probably not a good idea for you to walk home alone," Aria pointed out. "Why don't you just spend the night here?"

Kendal turned back, looking at her uncertainly. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Aria persisted. "I normally have sleepovers with Vanessa on Saturday. It feels kind of weird being alone tonight."

"I know what you mean," Kendal muttered softly looking down. "Okay. I guess I can call my mom. I'm sure she'll be fine with it."

"Great, I'll tell my parents whenever they get back from their date night. I'm sure they won't mind since its Saturday. My mom will probably even be relieved that I'm not alone."

"Your parents still have their date night? That's so sweet," Kendal commented, as she dug through her purse in search of her phone.

Aria smiled remembering the time when her parents would sometimes drop her off at Kendal's house when they had their date night. Usually Vanessa would come over too. Aria reminisced on the three of them playing dress up as little girls, watching movies together at night, and spending all day at the mall in middle school. Sighing, she wondered if the three of them would ever be friends again. It seemed so impossible now, but then again Aria never thought she would see the day when Kendal would be her friend again.

As it turned out, both Kendal's and Aria's were mildly surprised but nevertheless fine with the sleepover. Just as Aria predicted, her mother seemed glad that she was not alone when they returned home. The girls stayed up laughing hysterically as they watched 'Mean Girls,' which seemed to be an appropriate movie given their current situation.

"I can't believe our lives have turned into a movie," Kendal commented, as they walked upstairs after the movie ended.

_Yeah, first a fairy tale, now a movie,_ Aria thought privately saying instead, "It seems more like a teenage drama show now. I still can't believe how much everyone has changed in only a couple weeks. You and Vanessa have both changed drastically, and then there's Derek, who seems to be switching back and forth between jerk and nice guy. I feel like I'm just on the outside watching it all happen."

Kendal seemed to disagree. "Actually, you've changed quite a bit over these past couple months."

Aria raised her eyebrow, as she dug through her drawer for pajamas for the two of them. "How have I changed?"

"I don't know. You've just seemed more self confident lately," Kendal pointed out, as Aria handed her some pajamas. "Believe me, that's a good quality to have in high school. Also, you don't seem to care as much about whether you are included in parties like you use too or else you would probably still be there now. I have to admit when first left I thought you might not come back, at least not until hours later."

"After tonight, I think I can go the rest of my life without seeing another party," Aria said darkly as an image of her wasted friend and boyfriend imprinted in her mind.

Kendal looked at her in concern. "Was it Vanessa? At least you came back clean and dry."

Aria shook her head as she sank down on her bed. "No, it was actually seeing Derek there completely wasted that got me so upset."

"Oh," Kendal sighed, sympathetically, as she got into the bed next to Aria. "Did he at least invite you to go with him or did he just not tell you he planned on going?"

"Well, he did ask if I was going and when I told him no he said he wouldn't go either," Aria recalled, bitterly. "Obviously he was lying."

"I wouldn't worry about him," Kendal reassured. "Boys do stupid things like that all the time. I'm sure he'll apologize soon and maybe even get you a present to show his sincerity."

Aria let out a heavy breath. "I seriously doubt it. I told him we were over."

"That's too bad. Derek really did seem a lot happier when he was with you. Maybe if you talk with him and he seems really sorry about it you can take him back."

"Yeah, maybe," Aria sighed, knowing she would eventually forgive Derek, just not anytime soon.

She thought about what Kendal said about Derek being happier with her. Though her words did wound truly sincere, Aria still did not feel one hundred percent positive that Kendal was not just making sure there was no chance she would try to get back together with Edmund.

The two girls spent about an hour lying in bed talking about boy drama, gossip, and even reminisced about their childhood some before Kendal fell asleep first. As Aria turned her head to her sleeping friend she smiled. Renewing her friendship with Kendal had to be the best thing that has happened to her all week. Aria laid awake as she went over her new plan. If she could completely rekindle their friendship and get Kendal to trust her more, then maybe Aria could convince her that Edmund was dangerous and she should stay away from him.

xXx

Since Aria had forgotten to take her sleeping potion she woke up a couple hours before Kendal. Not wanting to wake her, Aria quietly sat at her computer and surfed the web while she waited.

As Aria heard stirring, she turned her head to see Kendal rolling over squinting her eyes open as she rubbed them.

Aria smiled. "Good morning."

"Morning," Kendal replied, sleepily, as she sat up. "I'm surprised you are already awake. You were always the last one to wake up at sleepovers. I remember you use to sleep till mid-afternoon."

"Yeah, I don't really do that anymore," Aria responded, unable to think of an explanation she could give Kendal for her sudden change in sleep habits.

The girls walked downstairs to find Elizabeth in the kitchen apparently preparing a feast for them. There were bacon, eggs, pancakes, and toast spread out among the kitchen table.

"Wow, Mom. You really did not have to do this," Aria stated with uncertainty, glancing sideways at Kendal, who she did not recall to ever be a big breakfast eater.

Kendal, however, smiled brightly. "This is amazing, Mrs. Rosenberg! I never get to eat like this except for when I visit my dad."

Aria remembered just how Kendal's mother was about food. Mrs. Lewis was so worried about her daughter gaining weight, she started Kendal on diet soda when she was five, and in elementary school, instead of packing normal snacks such as chips and cookies, she would pack Weight Watcher's candy bars. That was something the other kids, except for Aria and Vanessa, would not hesitate to make fun of. Aria always thought Mrs. Lewis was rather extreme about her daughter's diet, especially since Kendal never showed any signs of gaining weight.

Once they finished with breakfast, Aria suggested they spend the afternoon at the mall knowing Kendal would eagerly agree. While the girls got ready in Aria's room, her phone went off. Seeing that the caller was Derek, Aria ignored it. A few seconds later, a text message appeared with the words, 'r we still on for lunch?'

"He cannot be serious," Aria uttered aloud, staring at her phone, mortified. "He actually thinks I still want to see him after last night?"

"Maybe he wants to apologize," Kendal suggested, briefly glancing at the message, then appeared slightly disappointed. "Look, if you want to see him today I understand. We can hang out another time."

Aria shook her head. "I think if I see Derek now I might strangle him. For his own safety its probably best I give it a little more time."

Kendal laughed as they finished getting ready. Since neither of them drove, Elizabeth dropped them off at the mall.

"So you'll be sixteen in a couple weeks," Aria commented recalling Kendal's birthday to be December 21. "Are you going to get a car?"

"Not likely from my mom," Kendal answered as they strolled about the mall. "She says if I want a car I would have to lose five pounds before my birthday. After the breakfast we had today, that's pretty unlikely."

"That's ridiculous," Aria stated, flatly. "You could gain five pounds and still look good."

Kendal just sighed. "Yeah, well, that's Mom for you. She says I can always afford to shake off a few pounds."

Aria frowned. Doesn't Mrs. Lewis realize these kinds of comments are what lead so many teenage girls to have eating disorders? Fortunately, despite her mother's comments, Kendal seemed to have enough self-confidence.

"Hey, do you want to go get spray on tans?" Kendal asked as she spotted Sunbeam Glow, which offered just that.

"Um, I don't know. Doesn't it cost a lot?"

"Don't worry about that," Kendal assured. "I'll just put it on Mom's credit card. She doesn't care how much I spend or what I spend it on. Except, there was this one time I bought Ian a chocolate shake and she thought I got it for myself. I didn't hear the end of it. So what do you say?"

"You know what, let's do it!" Aria replied with a hint of excitement.

Aria had to admit she was curious on whether or not the spray on tan would even work on her skin. She did have the gift of fair skin, which she wished she could either give back or exchange for something like intelligence or athletic ability, but one never knows. Maybe the chemicals in the spray will override the magic. Besides, since Mrs. Lewis still seemed determined to make her daughter feel bad about her weight, Aria did not feel at all guilty about helping Kendal max out her credit card.

It did not come as surprise to Aria when she saw that the spray had absolutely no affect on her fair skin. The workers had her try a couple times to make sure she stood not to far from the sprayers but still had no luck. As the befuddled employees commented on how strange it was that the tan was not working, all Aria could do was offer a shrug, pretending to be just as confused.

"You really were not kidding when you would say your skin is determined to be pale," Kendal commented as they walked out of Sunbeam Glow.

"Yeah, I reached that conclusion when I realized I could spend all day out in the sun and have nothing happen," Aria pointed out, sighing.

"Oh, well, at least your skin is flawless," Kendal in a comforting tone. "I mean so far, you've gone through your teenage years without a single blemish. That's pretty…" Kendal's voice trailed off as she starred straight ahead at the person walking out of Forever XXI, and then muttered. "Maybe we should turn around."

Pretending not to hear her, Aria called out, "Hi Ian!"

As Ian, holding a navy blue leather purse, waved and started to move towards the girls, Kendal whispered annoyed, "Aria!"

Aria just shrugged. "What? You guys go to the same school. You're going to have to learn to get past the awkwardness."

Kendal sighed and greeted, weakly, "Hey Ian." As her eyes moved towards the purse she added, "Nice look."

"Oh," Ian chuckled as he waved the purse. "It's actually Vanessa's. She left it in the store and wanted me to go back and get it for her."

Aria resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she recalled Vanessa saying how Ian deserved to be in a better relationship. To her, this appeared to be exactly the same as it was when Ian was with Kendal, only now, Ian seemed less happy.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened last night at the party," Ian stated, sincerely. "I didn't think Vanessa was actually going to do anything."

Kendal just shrugged, forcing a smile. "It's no big deal. All I needed was a shower then I was good as new. Besides, it's not like you had anything to do with it."

"Yeah, I just felt like I could have stopped it had I…"

"IAN!" Vanessa's raging voice bellowed, as she appeared from around the corner. "Why are you talking to _her_?"

"You better go," Kendal told him, offering a bittersweet smile. "Trust me, when a girl is with someone like you, her greatest fear is losing you."

Ian gave her a small smile in return, before turning around, dreading his next conversation with his current girlfriend.

"Look, Vanessa, we were just talking," Ian assured, as he reached her. "I don't see why you're upset."

"Hmm, let's see. Why wouldn't I want to talking to your ex-girlfriend?" Vanessa stammered sarcastically as she ranted on.

Vanessa did not seemed concerned by the volume of her voice, as she vented on about how Kendal would likely do anything to steal Ian back. People passing by nervously slowed down to glance at the battling couple before continuing on.

"Um, we should probably go," Kendal suggested, softly, grabbing Aria's arm. "Aria?"

"Oh, sorry," Aria said, snapping out of her daze. "I just had a major déjà vu moment there."

"I bet," Kendal mumbled, as she pulled Aria away from the scene. "Man, poor Ian. I've always been so terrible to him. I had hoped we would at least have better luck with someone else."

"He still likes you," Aria said, softly gazing down as they walked. "I could tell by the way he was looking at you. I think he misses you."

"I miss him too," Kendal admitted. "I feel like I didn't really appreciate what I had with Ian until I lost him. For these past couple years, I've just been taking our relationship for granted. Ever since we broke up I wished I could go back and fix what went wrong and be a better girlfriend."

"You should talk to him about this," Aria stated with more confidence. "Now that you know for sure how you feel about him, maybe your relationship will be stronger this time around."

Kendal shook her head sadly. "It's too late. Besides, I'm with Edmund now. It wouldn't be fair to him."

_Edmund,_ Aria thought bitterly, as she took in a deep breath. "Kendal, listen to me. There's something you need to know about Edmund. He's not…"

"Aria wait," Kendal interrupted, turning to face her. "You don't need to explain anything. Edmund already told me why you two didn't work out."

"He did?" Aria asked, feeling her daze returning. "Wait. What exactly did he tell you?"

"He did not tell me the details," Kendal assured. "I figured that's between you and him. Edmund just admitted to me that he was the one that messed up and you were the best girl anyone could ask for. He just told me that what he did was terrible and that he truly regrets it. From now on, he says he wants to strive to be a better person. It kind of makes me want to be better, too. And… uh, Aria, are your okay? You seem pale, or well paler than usual."

"I'm fine," Aria managed to get out after a few moments of pure shock over what she just heard.

"Well, we should probably go," Kendal said, as she pulled out her phone. "I'll call my mom and see if she can pick us up. Oh, and please don't mention the breakfast to her in the car. She'd be furious if she found out how many calories I ate today."

Aria just nodded as she felt the blood in her veins flow ice cold. Edmund had Kendal played even better than she had anticipated. He must have known Kendal would likely not believe that Aria was the one that screwed up the relationship. How was Aria supposed to convince Kendal that Edmund was a bad guy when she already knew this? She believed he's repented and trying to make up for his wrong doings. Reliving the events from last night to this moment, despite her doubt, Aria felt even more determination to stop Edmund and Lord Argarion from harming Kendal. At first, she was simply trying to save a classmate. Now, however, Aria felt a change in heart for she knew she would have to do whatever it takes to save her friend.


	21. Chapter 21 Derek's Solution

_Chapter 21_

_Derek's Solution_

"So Kendal told me Edmund is planning on taking her somewhere special for her birthday," Aria ranted on to Myrtle, pacing frantically back and forth in the English classroom. "When he took me out for my birthday, that was when he captured me and gave me to, well, you. Does that mean Lord Argarion plans to steal her life on her birthday?"

"Normally Lord Argarion performs the ritual on the first day of winter, the shortest day of the year," Myrtle answered, uninterested, as she graded papers.

"The shortest day of the year," Aria repeated, relieved, thinking she had more time before realizing, "Wait, that's December 21, Kendal's birthday! I still only have a week!"

"Well, that's an interesting coincidence," Myrtle commented. "I bet Lord Argarion will appreciate that."

"We need to find out a way stop Edmund from taking her to Evalius," Aria continued.

"Hmm." Myrtle made a mental note that next time Princess Aria comes in asking for some _quick _advice to deny it. This was getting rather tiresome. Myrtle recalled explaining to the princess over and over that when it comes to Evalius she cannot win or at least not without something tragic happening to her. Now, just because Myrtle sat and listened to her for ten minutes, Aria seemed to be under the impression that she wanted to help.

Aria kept pacing, her words running at a hundred miles per hour. "I tried telling Kendal that Edmund is a bad guy and she should just stay away from him, but apparently he told her that he use to be bad and he's now trying to make up for it. Can you believe that? What am I suppose to tell her now?"

"Well, that was very clever of him. He really seems to have thought this through."

"What are we going to do?" Aria demanded, throwing her hand on her head.

"You keep saying 'we,' Princess, as though you are under the impression that I am going to help you," Myrtle pointed out to her.

"You have to help!" Aria declared in desperation.

Myrtle looked up and shook her head. "No. I really don't think I do."

"Oh, come on," Aria pleaded placing both hands on her desk. "Don't you want revenge on Lord Argarion? This would be the perfect opportunity. Besides, since no one else seems interested in helping me, you are really the only one left I have to turn to."

Myrtle actually looked directly at Aria. "I'm the only one you have left, you say? Well, that is rather interesting considering we began as enemies."

"So you'll help me?" Aria asked, hopefully.

Myrtle answered simply, "No, I have no desire for revenge."

Aria felt more frustration building within her, as she once again began to pace. "So let me get this straight. You try to kill me for your revenge just because you weren't invited to my first birthday party. Lord Argarion tried to steal your youth leaving you dead, and you have no desire to get back at him?"

Myrtle sighed, returning to grading papers. "Even if I did want vengeance, it does not matter since I know I cannot win against him."

"So? You knew you couldn't win against me but you still tried anyway," Aria reminded her, as she slumped down in the front student desk.

"That's true," Myrtle responded considering her point. "But I expected you to give me a quick painless end. Lord Argarion, however, would not likely be that merciful."

At that moment the door burst open and Derek rushed in.

"There you are," he breathed. "I was…"

"Derek, I'm really not in the mood now," Aria interrupted. "I need to talk to Myrtle now."

"I really don't feel comfortable leaving you alone with _her,_" Derek stated, firmly, giving Myrtle a hard look.

Aria just gave him a look of exasperation while Myrtle softly chuckled.

"Derek," Aria finally said after a few moments. "I already told you we don't have to worry about Myrtle anymore. Right now, the problem is Lord Argarion."

"That's Kendal's problem, Aria. Not yours," Derek argued. "It's not worth putting yourself in danger. She's not even your friend."

"Kendal is my friend!" Aria declared, firmly, rising out of the desk.

"No she's not, Aria," Derek debated. "The only reason she's hanging out with you is because no one else will talk to her. I still can't believe you blew me off yesterday to spend the day with Kendal of all people."

Aria stared at him in utter shock before fuming on. "You're actually mad at me about that? What did you expect after Saturday night? Even if I didn't have Kendal to hang out with, I still wouldn't have had lunch with you!"

"I thought you were over that."

Aria raised her eyebrow. "You really thought I would just be over it the next day?"

"I texted you saying I was sorry later that night and you replied, 'sorry about what?'" Derek pointed out. "I just assumed that was your way of saying you forgive me."

Aria shook her head, confused. "I never got a text from you that night."

Derek pulled out his phone. "Yes you did. I know I sent it. Look, I can prove it." He scrolled down his sent messages then his face fell. "Oh, wait. I accidentally sent it to my cousin, Alice, instead."

Aria rolled her eyes. "The alcohol must have affected your vision."

In realization, Derek softened his tone. "Look, Aria. I really am sorry about the way I acted that night. The only reason I even went is because Ian asked me to. I was just planning on having one beer just to try it and, well…"

"One eventually turned into ten," Aria finished for him in a sigh. "It's fine Derek. Just please don't do it again. Right now, I need to focus on saving Kendal."

"Aria, please," Derek begged. "Don't put your life on the line for her."

"She's my friend, now, Derek," Aria repeated, firmly. "I'm going to help her."

"Really, Aria? She's your friend? Don't you remember how mean she was to you? I don't even see why you're talking to her."

Aria could not believe the words coming out of his mouth, but she decided to play along anyway. "You know what Derek, you're right. Kendal was always really mean to me. I shouldn't be hanging out with her or even talking to her."

Derek sighed with relief, as he took Aria's hand. "Yes, exactly."

Aria jerked her hand away. "By that logic I shouldn't be speaking to you either."

With that Aria marched out of the classroom, passing several confused students wondering when it would be okay to enter the room, leaving a stricken Derek alone with Myrtle.

"Good grief," Myrtle commented after Aria's departure. "I don't think I've ever seen a fairy tale couple endure this much drama."

Derek, just remembering that Myrtle was still there, turned to face her, demanding, "Are you really helping Aria with this?"

"She seems to be under the impression that I am for some reason, but no, I am not."

"Do you think you could talk her out of getting involved in this mess?" Derek asked, desperately.

Myrtle sighed. "I already warned her several times that's she's on a very dangerous mission, but she refuses to listen. I must say Princess Aria has to be the most stubborn princess I have ever come to meet."

"Why is it so hard for us to be together?" Derek moaned on. "According to what you told Aria we are supposed to be living happily ever after by now. Instead, she's mad at me because I don't want her to go out and get herself killed!"

"I would imagine it is because you are here," Myrtle theorized. "In this world relationships seem to be more difficult no matter how much the two people in them love each other."

Derek put his hand up trying to get his mind around this. "So you're saying that if Aria and I were in Galatia, we wouldn't have all these problems with our relationship?"

"I believe so, yes," Myrtle confirmed. "The more time you spend in Galatia the more your problems here will fade and your strongest emotion will likely be the love you have for each other."

"So Aria wouldn't be so obsessed with trying to save Kendal and putting herself in danger," Derek wondered aloud. "Am I right?"

When Myrtle nodded Derek sighed and added, "Well, I think I just got a really bad idea."

xXx

"So let me get this straight," Kendal stated to Aria as they sat down together for lunch. "Derek did apologize but you're not taking him back because of what he said about me?"

"Wow, I really thought you would be on my side on this," Aria commented, as she brushed her hair behind her shoulders. "He pretty much said that since you use to be mean to me I shouldn't even consider being your friend."

Kendal sighed, shamefully. "Well, he is right. I did use to be really mean to you. He's probably just wants to make sure I don't do anything more bad to you." She smiled as she stirred her cup of vegetables, adding, "It's pretty sweet how he looks out for you like that. You really should consider taking him back."

"You can be really insightful at times," Aria pointed out to her, as Walter and Edmund joined them. "I suppose you're right. I guess I'll try talking with Derek again later."

"You really should," Edmund chimed in giving Aria a brief smug look. "You and Derek really are the _fairy tale _couple."

"Oh, that's sweet, babe," Kendal said as she turned her head to give him a kiss on the cheek.

At this moment, Aria wanted nothing more than to lunge across the table and strangle Edmund as her hatred for him expanded. He comes here, transforming Kendal into a much more pleasant person only to soon lead her to her death. Though she could her feel head reaching the point of explosion, Aria forced steady breathing to remain calm.

Walter gazed across the cafeteria. "Does anyone know why Vanessa is sitting with Dean of all people?"

"Oh." Kendal broke away from her trance on Edmund and gossiped, "They apparently started dating just today. From what I heard, Vanessa broke up with Ian yesterday at the mall, I'm assuming right after we ran into them and she got all upset with Ian for talking to me."

Walter stared at Kendal in shock. "So you're telling me that Vanessa dumped Ian just for talking to you?"

Kendal rolled her eyes. "I know it's insane, right? At least I waited until Ian actually kissed her until I broke it off. Anyway, Dean is not a good choice. He has absolutely no respect for women. He's treated every girl he's been with more like a prize he's won than an actual human being. And if a girl's not willing to go all the way with him after like a week he'll just dump her."

Aria sighed in concern. Vanessa used to have much better judgment when it came to boys. She could even tell something was up with Edmund when Aria had fallen madly in love with him. Though lately, a lot of things about Vanessa have changed.

"Hey Aria, can we talk?" Derek asked, as he walked up to their table.

"What is it Derek?"

"I'd rather we talk alone," Derek muttered, nervously.

Aria sighed as Kendal gave her a look of encouragement. Reluctantly she followed Derek into the English classroom, now empty.

"Aren't you worried Myrtle might come in here soon?"

Derek shook his head. "I saw her leaving the building for lunch." Derek paused a few moments taking in a deep breath. "Look, Aria. I'm sorry about what I said earlier. If you want to be friends with Kendal, that's fine. You are a very forgiving person and you always see the good in people no matter what. You should never change that about you."

Aria smiled, though she felt slightly uncomfortable about where this was going.

Derek continued, "I really hate it when we are apart."

Aria nodded and mumbled, "Me too."

"I am really sorry for, well, everything I've said and done these past couple weeks. Recently, I've just been thinking about what you told me about this Evalius place, and well, if anything bad happened to you, I don't know what I'd do. I guess I just haven't handled it very well."

"It's okay," Aria uttered more strongly, gently putting her hand on his. "I hate how we've been fighting over everything lately. It seems to have all started because of that stupid ball."

Derek embraced her. "That's all in the past now. I know you were only doing that for your parents."

As Aria slowly broke away she said, "Well, we should probably get back to lunch now. Do you want to sit with us?"

Derek took her hand, stopping her. "Wait, Aria. I'm not done."

Aria's uncomfortable feelings returned. "We just made up, Derek. What more do we have to talk about?"

Aria looked at him suspiciously, hoping he was not going to try to dissuade her more from helping Kendal. Oddly, Derek's mannerism seemed to cause to heart to race faster and faster.

Still grasping her hand, Derek bent down on one knee. "Aria Rosenberg, will you marry me?"


	22. Chapter 22 The Fight

_Chapter 22_

_The Fight_

Aria thought back to when she first woke up in the dragon guarded tower, Derek's kiss awakening her. Everything seemed so unreal she had been positive that she got caught in a dream. As she gazed down upon Derek, kneeling in front of her, that same feeling returned.

"Aria?" Derek looked up at her with uncertainty. "What do you say?"

Aria tried to find her words but the shock made that rather difficult. "I, um…"

"I know this is sudden," Derek continued, squeezing her hand tighter. "But I think... I know we were meant to be together forever."

"Derek," Aria began attempting to keep level. "We just got back together like two seconds ago, not to mention we are still in high school. What makes you think either of us are ready for marriage?"

"If we move to Galatia, things will be different," Derek explained with confidence. "Besides, this is exactly what your parents want for you. Why make them wait any longer?"

Aria raised her eyebrow. "And what were you planning on telling your parents? Derek, we both have lives here. We can't just drop everything and leave."

"Our lives are in Galatia," Derek went on, earnestly. "According to what Myrtle told me, if we move there all the problems we are having here will go away and we can live happily ever after just like we were meant to. Nothing else will seem important."

"So you're saying if we got married in Galatia I won't be concerned with anything going on here and simply be focused on our happiness, nothing more?" Aria asked softly, as she began to understand where he was going with this.

Derek nodded. "Yes, exactly."

Aria felt her shock transform into rage, as she furiously jerked her hand away. "Oh my God, Derek! You're just doing this so I will stop trying to save Kendal, aren't you?"

"I just want to keep you safe, Aria," Derek explained still on the ground. "I truly believe that is the best thing we can do right now. I really don't see why you are upset."

"You really don't understand why that might upset me…. Oh for God's sakes, Derek, stand up!"

Slowly, Derek rose to his feet as Aria fumed on. "You are using marriage to manipulate me! Is that really how you want our life together to start? And why is it, every time we just get back together you always do or say something stupid to ruin it. You seriously thought that just by asking me to marry you I would just drop everything and say yes and all our problems would magically go away?"

"Aria, I asked you to marry me because I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you," Derek declared, firmly. "And yes, part of it is that I do want to protect you. I couldn't bear it if something bad were to happen to you."

Hearing his sincerity, Aria tried to soften, but her tone still carried some anger along with frustration. "I love you too, Derek, but let me make one thing clear. We are not getting married before we graduate high school!"

As she began to storm out of the room, Derek asked, "Wait, so is that a yes?"

Aria paused, but could not find the right words so instead just moved on leaving a confused Derek alone in the classroom. She still could not believe what just happened. Derek's unexpected proposal was just too much for her to take in right now with everything going on. The worst thing about all this was that the first time Aria and Derek uttered the words 'I love you' to each other was in the middle of a fight.

The very second Aria rejoined her lunch table, Kendal demanded eagerly, "So how did it go? Are you two getting back together?"

"Oh, I suppose," Aria grumbled, realizing she never declared them over this time. "I just have to accept the fact that my boyfriend can sometimes be an idiot."

xXx

Moving slowly, Vanessa approached Aria as she leaned into her locker, pulling out her textbook. As she almost reached earshot of her friend, Vanessa abruptly turned, dashing the other way. She sighed. This was the forth time she did this today.

Vanessa did not know what to say to Aria now. After the way she has been acting for the past few weeks, she could not blame her old friend for not wanting anything to do with her. But why did she have to hang out with Kendal? It was not as though Kendal was much improvement.

Her thoughts turned to when this all began, with Kendal. Vanessa had wanted nothing more than to take her down, causing her to lose everything important to her, her friends, her boyfriend, and her popularity. Now, seeing her with Aria, laughing and talking just like old times, Vanessa was beginning to think that she did Kendal a favor. What Vanessa gained since the dance was nothing compared to what she lost, the friendship she had with Aria. Vanessa wondered why it took her so long to realize that. Guilt consumed her even more as she knew in her heart that the only reason she had a sudden change in attitude now was because of what Derek told her about what could happen to Aria in Evalius. Funny how some things, including people, get taken for granted until they may be lost forever. From what Derek said, it sounded as though she could not possibly win in Evalius. Desperately, Vanessa desired to convince her friend to stay out of it but how was she suppose to do that if she could not even bring herself to talk to Aria? Time rapidly slipped away since today just happened to be December 21.

Vanessa then spotted Walter walking down the hallway. As she begun to follow, her heart raced causing her mind to spin just as she felt when first asking him out to Homecoming. Lately, she constantly found herself thinking about what she could have had with him had she not pursued Ian at the dance. The fact that Vanessa thought that Walter deserved someone better back then was almost laughable compared to now.

The moment Vanessa realized she had molded into the exact person she hated was at the mall. Just as her fiery words heated at Ian that day, Vanessa looked over to where Kendal and Aria stood and at that instant she knew she could no longer go on this way. Most of her classmates, even her new friends, thought she had gone completely insane for dumping Ian like that but to Vanessa, it seemed as though her mind was finally coming back together. And then Dean came along, asking her out. Vanessa knew exactly what he was, but found herself saying yes anyway. She wished she could feel surprise when Dean never bothered to call, barely listened to her when she talked, and only wanted to take her out with his friends, where he mostly ignored her as though she were only there for show. Yes, Vanessa did expect this, but she figured since she ruined any chances with nice guys such as Walter or Ian this was the best she could hope for in a relationship.

As she followed Walter, Vanessa thought she could build up the courage to talk to him, but sure enough, the second she realized he was about to turn around, she once again found herself darting the other direction.

"Vanessa," Walter's voice called out.

Nerves piercing her body, Vanessa turned around to see Walter holding a sheet of paper.

Walter held out the paper to her. "Um, this fell out of your bag."

Vanessa let out a breath of relief. "Oh, my history notes! Thanks, Walter. I would have totally flunked the exam without these."

"No problem," Walter replied, softly, and they both fell silent for a few moments before he pointed out, "Well, I should probably get to class."

At first Vanessa just nodded until it hit her that he no longer seemed angry with her. "Walter, wait, I…"

"Vanessa."

This time Dean was the one who called.

"Oh, hey Dean," Vanessa sighed. "What's up?"

He put his arm around her roughly as they walked. "I just wanted to let you know we're going out tonight. Jake snagged some fake IDs so we can go to this club downtown and get drinks."

After all the vomiting she did the morning after her own party because of alcohol, this really did not sound good to Vanessa.

"I don't know, Dean. We have our exams this week. I should probably stay home and study."

"Come on," Dean urged, squeezing her even tighter. "Everyone's going to be there."

"By everyone, you mean all of your friends," Vanessa groaned, slightly pained by his tight grip on her.

"Well, yeah," Dean answered, clearly stupefied by her reaction. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"It's just that since we started dating we've never spent any time alone. I feel like we've barely gotten to know each other."

Dean grinned in such a way that made Vanessa's skin crawl as he then said, "I'll tell what, maybe while we are there the two of us can sneak off to the back and we can," he winked at her as he finished, "_get to know each other better."_

Instantly realizing what he meant by this, Vanessa, with all her might, jerked away from him, bursting out, "We've only been dating for a little more than a week, and you actually expect to do… well _that_ with you?"

Dean appeared utterly bewildered. "What is the problem? First you say we are not spending enough time together and when I suggest something for us to do you completely freak out." He paused putting his hand on his head in frustration. "Fine, we don't have to do that tonight. Just come to the club with us. It will be fun."

"I said I don't want to go," Vanessa declared, firmly, throwing her hands on her hips.

"You really should," Dean persisted. "You are supposed to be my girlfriend."

"Dean, I said I am NOT going!" Vanessa repeated, as even more annoyance filled her voice.

"God, Vanessa, you can be such a bitch sometimes!"

Vanessa gasped, furious, as a dark voice came from behind her, demanding, "What did you call her?"

Horrified, Vanessa turned to see Walter behind her, his arms folded, glaring directly at Dean. Her heart leaped, racing like wild rabbits scurrying away from their predator. Walter cannot be here right now.

"I'd stay out of this if I were you," Dean warned him but Walter did not budge.

Vanessa urgently put both hands on Walter's shoulders, pleading, "Yes, Walter, please stay out of this. I can handle it from here."

Walter, not taking his dark piercing eyes off Dean, ignored her and continued, "I think you should apologize to Vanessa and take that back."

"I think for your own sake you better stay out of this," Dean retorted, as he moved closer to them.

"I'm not going anywhere until you apologize."

A wild beast seemed to take over Dean as he prepared his attack, declaring, "Fine, but you can't say I didn't warn you."

"Dean, no!" Vanessa pushed Walter back standing in front of Dean.

Wanting her out of his path, Dean shoved Vanessa slamming her against the lockers. After that, Walter did not hesitate to through his fist right into Dean's face, taking him utterly by surprise.

"Stop!" Vanessa cried out, desperately, as the boys continued to wrestle like lions.

Seeing that neither of them would pause to listen to her, Vanessa hustled down the hall in search of a teacher or some authority figure to stop them before someone got seriously hurt. As she turned the corner, she spotted Myrtle walking back to her English classroom. Vanessa almost called her, but changed her mind. There had to be someone else around, someone less evil.

"Something wrong, Miss Cooper?" Myrtle asked, innocently, as she turned her head to see an out of breath Vanessa, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

Figuring there was not much time to search for someone else, Vanessa panted desperately, "It's Dean and Walter. They're fighting just around the corner!"

"Well," Myrtle sighed. "I suppose that kind of behavior is not acceptable here, is it?"

Vanessa followed as Myrtle swiftly walked around the corner to the two boys. As Myrtle stealthily waved her hand, Walter and Dean found themselves thrust away from each other, both of them appearing puzzled of how something like that could happen.

"That's quite enough, gentlemen," Myrtle said, calmly. "If this happens again you will both find yourselves in detention. Now, you two should probably see the nurse." She turned to Vanessa. "And perhaps you too, Miss Cooper. You seemed to have bruised your forehead."

Vanessa touched her hand to her head feeling the bump from being pushed into the lockers as she examined the two boys. To her surprise, other than his bottom lip breeding, Walter did not appear to have come off that beaten from the quarrel. She could not say the same for Dean, seeing his black eyes, broken nose, and his hand on his stomach, where Walter likely punched him. She could not tell whether his face contained more rage or humiliation.

Vanessa felt a daze. The next thing she knew she was in the nurse's room as Nurse Kelly examined her head.

"Well, you should be fine, dear," Nurse Kelly said, sweetly, as she set her small light down on the counter and headed towards the door. "I'll be right back with some ice for you."

The moment the nurse left, Vanessa walked out into the waiting room where Walter sat alone, softly greeting, "Hey."

He looked up at her and smiled. "Hey. How's your head?"

"It's fine," Vanessa answered, pretending not to notice it much. "It's just a small bruise. No big deal."

Walter looked back down, muttering bitterly, "I can't believe he pushed you like that."

Vanessa sighed as she sat down in the chair next to him. "I can. Dean's a jerk. That's just the way he is. I knew the moment you interfered he would try to find some way to start a fight. That was the reason I urged you to stay out of it. I was afraid he would really hurt you, though apparently I had nothing to worry about."

"Well, I didn't take karate for nothing," Walter pointed out.

"That's right!" Vanessa grinned, suddenly feeling silly for forgetting this. "I guess I should have just stepped aside so you could let him have it."

They both laughed then fell silent for a few moments before Walter broke the ice by wondering, "I can understand why you might like Ian, but what possible reason could you have for dating someone like Dean?"

Vanessa let out a heavy breath, unsure how to answer. "I don't know. I guess after all the screw-ups I made since Homecoming I just thought Dean was the best I could do from now on. I don't deserve anyone better."

"Anybody would deserve someone who treats them better than that," Walter commented, bitterly.

"Even Kendal?" Vanessa muttered before she could stop herself.

"Hey, Kendal's gotten a lot better recently," Walter pointed out. "In fact, I am starting to think of her as a fr…"

"Don't finish that sentence," Vanessa interjected firmly, holding her hand up.

"Come on," Walter insisted. "She really has been significantly friendlier these past couple weeks. Though maybe a little too friendly that time she kissed me."

"Okay, Walter. If anything is ever going to happen between us, I never want to hear about that kiss between you and Kendal again."

Walter could not help but smile as his eyebrow lifted. "So are you saying something could happen between us?"

Vanessa gazed down as she spoke. 'Well, I would like that, but if you don't want to be with me, I don't blame…"

Without a moment's hesitation, Walter gently lifted her chin, kissing her. For the first time since Homecoming, Vanessa felt her heart fill up in bliss.


	23. Chapter 23 Friends Again… Or Not

_Chapter 23_

_Friends Again… Or Not_

"So do you think Aria will forgive me for the way I've been acting?" Vanessa asked Walter, while still in the waiting room.

Walter smiled. "Of course she will. It is Aria after all. She did forgive Kendal so that's a good sign for you."

"Oh right, Kendal," Vanessa grumbled, staring down at the ground. "Does this mean that I'll have to try to be friends with her too?"

"It would make it slightly less complicated for Aria," Walter pointed out. "Besides, don't you miss being friends with Kendal, even a little?"

"Why would I miss her? She may have been a little nicer in middle school but she was always manipulative and had this way of getting me to do things I don't want to do. Like in eighth grade, she convinced me cheerleading would be fun. It turned out to be the worst experience of my life. I swear, every single practice all the girls on the squad would do is bicker over who's in charge, who is flyer and who is who, and even stupid things like how we should where are hair to the games. But Kendal thought it would be something fun for us to do together." Vanessa paused to let out a heavy breath. "Okay fine. I miss her a little. I'll try to be friends with her, but she's going to have to try too. If I'm the only making the effort then it just won't work."

"I'm sure she will," Walter consoled. "I think she misses you too."

Vanessa raised her eyebrow. "Did she say that?"

"Not in so many words, or any, but I could tell she was glad to be friends with Aria again."

"She's just lucky Aria can forgive just about anyone no matter what they do to her," Vanessa pointed out.

Walter pondered this. "I don't know if that's entirely true."

"What do you mean?"

"I was just thinking of Edmund," Walter explained. "I don't think I have ever seen Aria look at someone so darkly. What did he do that was so terrible even Aria can't get past it?"

Vanessa sighed unsure how to answer this. She desperately wished she could tell him the truth but Walter got onto her for believing in superstitions and astrology. If she told him Edmund came from a fairy tale world first to try to kill Aria and now Kendal, he would think she had gone completely insane. Vanessa tried to think of something so that she could at least help Aria.

"It's a really long story," Vanessa finally said. "All I can tell you is that Edmund is dangerous and he is now after Kendal. He wants to hurt her and if Aria gets involved she could get hurt too." She then turned to face him, pleading, "Walter, just in case I can't get Aria to listen to me will you please talk to her and try to convince her to stay out of it?"

"Is he really that dangerous?" Walter asked, concerned.

"Yes," Vanessa continued, urgently. "But he's not after Aria anymore so there is no reason for her to be involved."

Walter looked at her, his expression mixed of curiosity and uneasiness, but responded, "I'll try and talk to her but I think we both know Aria better than that."

Vanessa let out another heavy breath, this time containing more frustration. If talking Aria out of this would not work then she would just have to think of another solution to this disaster.

xXx

"I don't get it Aria. Why don't you want me to go out with Edmund tonight?" Kendal asked, as the two girls walked down the hall heading to English. "He said he had something special planned for my birthday."

_Yeah, he's going to lead you to your death,_ Aria thought but knew she could not utter this aloud. She needed to say something to talk Kendal out of this date. Since the ritual had to occur on the shortest day of the year, Aria figured all she had to do was make sure Kendal stayed here, away from Edmund, and hopefully then it will be over.

Aria considered her words. "Look Kendal, I did not want to tell you this but the reason you can't go out tonight is because, um, well we are throwing you a surprise party, at your house. It was your mom's idea. She even got you a cake and everything."

Kendal just laughed. "My mother got me a cake? Yeah right! What did she do, order it from Jenny Craig?"

Aria immediately shook her head. "No, it's a fully loaded calorie cake. Look, this party really means a lot to your mom. She would be really disappointed if you weren't there."

Kendal sighed as she agreed, "Alright fine. I'll just tell Edmund we will have to go out another time."

Aria could not recall ever feeling so relieved, not to mention surprised that she actually talked Kendal out of the date. Now, all she had to do was get Mrs. Lewis to throw her a party tonight.

"I can't believe that fight," some girls gossiped as they walked past Aria and Kendal. "And it was over Vanessa Cooper of all people. I swear that girl just uses boys and tosses them away when she's finished. Isn't that what she did with Ian?"

Aria and Kendal briefly glanced at each other in confusion before Aria asked the girls, "Wait, who was fighting?"

"It was Dean and that Price kid," one girl answered. "I heard the fight got really bloody."

Aria gasped as she thought of Walter desperately hoping he didn't get severely injured. He does take karate, but then again, Dean is rather large.

"Do you know where they are now?" Kendal asked the girls.

Another answered, "Well, Dean's mom came and picked him up and I think Walter is in the nurse's office right now."

As Aria and Kendal both anxiously rushed to the nurse's to check on their friend more rumors of the incident filled the air.

"I heard Walter broke Dean's arm with his bare hands."

"Well, I heard he kicked Dean in the gut and broke all his ribs."

"I can't believe how Vanessa started the fight. I bet she probably enjoyed it." 

"Don't you think Walter's kind of hot? He's got that shy but dangerous thing going."

"So how much of this do you think is true?" Aria asked Kendal, as they finally reached Nurse Kelly's office.

"I don't know, but it sounds like Walter is becoming increasingly more popular." Her tone filled with more worry. "That doesn't mean we are going lose him are we? I really like having a smart friend."

"I wouldn't think so," Aria muttered, uncertainly, thinking there was no way she could lose yet another friend to popularity.

They then spotted Vanessa leaving the nurse's office. Aria thought about following her but she had no idea what to say.

"Did you see that bruise?" Kendal asked. "You don't think Dean actually hit her, do you?"

"Let's just go find out what happened from Walter," Aria decided as they walked into the nurse's office to find their friend completely in tacked sitting in one of the chairs, even looking slightly cheerful.

"Walter, you're okay!" Aria breathed, relieved, as she rushed over to hug him. "What happened?"

Walter explained what Dean said that lead to their much talked about battle then ended with him and Vanessa getting together.

"So let me get this straight," Kendal analyzed. "You beat up a guy for Vanessa and now she wants go out with you?"

"It's not like that," Walter defended. "Vanessa tried really hard to stop us. She even pushed me back and got in the way. That was when Dean shoved her into the locker."

"She actually got between you two?" Aria respired sharply, feeling sudden disgust with some of the girls in her school. "I can't believe the things people are saying about her!"

Kendal just sighed. "That's gossip for you."

Walter nodded in agreement then looked to Aria. "Look, Vanessa really did sound sincere about making things right with you," he glanced up at Kendal, "both of you. Is there a chance you are willing to forgive her?"

Aria smiled as she assured, "Of course."

Walter then looked up to Kendal who at first just stood stubbornly with her arms crossed but then sighed, giving in. "Alright, I'll try being friends with Vanessa. I guess we somehow managed it before. But let me be clear, I can't be the only one making the effort here. If she want this to work then she… Walter, why are you smiling like that?"

"That's almost exactly word for word what Vanessa just said," Walter explained. "You know, you two actually do have a lot in co…"

"Don't finish that sentence," Kendal firmly stated holding up her index finger.

Walter covered his mouth, working twice as hard to suppress that grin.

"So are you sure she want to be friends with me too or just Aria?" Kendal asked him.

"I believe what she really wants is for things to go back to the way they were back in middle school," Walter answered. "Though maybe without you making her join the cheerleading squad."

"Oh, my God! Is that what she told you? She was the one that wanted to be a cheerleader in the first place. It's not my fault she hated it. Oh wait, I forgot. According to Vanessa, everything was somehow my fault. She would always…"

"Kendal," Aria interjected. "If you want to be friends again, maybe it's better you don't bring up arguments from two years ago. And don't worry, I'll be sure to tell Vanessa the same thing."

Kendal did let out a final huff but agreed. "You're right, Aria. If we want to start over we need to put the past behind us."

At that moment Nurse Kelly returned saying, "So sorry about the wait. The kitchen was all out of ice so I had to stay and wait for them to make more and…" She looked around the room. "Where did Miss Cooper go? She needs to ice her forehead."

"She just left," Kendal answered. "But I can take the ice to her if that's okay."

Nurse Kelly nodded handing her the ice before leaving.

As she walked to the door, Kendal turned back to Aria and Walter and smiled. "I guess I should probably take this to her before it melts. Well, it looks like I'll be performing the first gesture of friendship."

"Kendal, this is not a competition," Aria started to say but found she had already left.

Walter sighed. "It's going to take a while for those two to become friends again, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah. They argued a lot even when they were best friends. They pretty much disagreed on anything you can possibly disagree on." Aria turned to see his look of concern and added, "But don't worry. I'm sure it will all work out."

"Actually I was thinking about what Vanessa said about Edmund," Walter said as Aria felt a rush of cold blood. "She desperately wanted me to tell you to stay away from him and Kendal tonight." He paused to let out a breath. "Aria, what is going on? Is he planning on doing something to her tonight?"

Aria nodded unsure how to best explain this. "He was, but it's okay now. I told Kendal we there is going to be a party for her at her house, but I need to actually plan one now. It would be great if you could help me."

Walter, though still puzzled, agreed. "Of course I'll help."

xXx

Trying to remember what class Vanessa had this period, Kendal searched about the building until she finally spotted her.

Taking in a deep breath, Kendal called out, "Vanessa."

Vanessa turned around looking confused.

Kendal held up the ice. "Um, Nurse Kelly wanted me to give this to you for your forehead."

"Oh, um, thanks," Vanessa said with uncertainty as she took the ice.

_Okay, remember try to be nice, for Aria,_ Kendal thought as she considered what she should say next. "Look, Vanessa. I know we've had our problems for these past couple months over…"

"You mean these past couple years when you decided you didn't want to be friends anymore," Vanessa reminded her.

"Fine," Kendal agreed determined to make this work. "It started two years ago, but I was talking about most recently with Ian, but now neither of us are dating him. You're with Walter and I'm with Edmund so I think for Aria's sake we should put this whole thing behind us and try to start over."

Vanessa nodded. "I'm willing to try that, but if you really care about Aria then you should break it off with Edmund."

"Excuse me." Kendal clenched her fists trying to keep her cool. Being nice can be incredibly difficult sometimes. She had no idea how Aria did it all the time.

"Edmund is dangerous," Vanessa explained. "And he is planning on doing something terrible to you and if Aria gets involved, which she probably will, then she will get hurt, too."

Kendal could feel her blood heating up, ready to boil. "How hard did you hit your head? Edmund would never do anything to hurt me, or Aria. I know he messed up with Aria before but he told me he's trying to change and be a better person and I believe him."

Vanessa voice rose. "Are you really that naïve? He hasn't changed a bit. Think about it, Kendal. We both know Aria is normally a forgiving person but it's obvious she's still holding a grudge against Edmund. Doesn't that tell you something?"

Kendal opened her mouth, but found herself at a loss for words. Vanessa did have a point there. What did Edmund do that was so bad to Aria? Was it really something unforgivable? Kendal wanted the truth.

"If he is really that bad then I will find out for myself," Kendal finally said after a few moments. "I really do believe people can change. Not to mention, I can't believe you are actually criticizing me for dating Edmund after you go out with someone like Dean!"

"Dean is a saint compared to Edmund!" Vanessa retorted.

Kendal crossed her arms. "Oh yeah! Why don't you find a mirror and take another look at that bruise and come back and repeat that?"

Vanessa did not know how to respond so she gave up saying, "Fine, it's your funeral," before walking around the corner.

Kendal just remained frozen, standing alone in the hall, unsure how to react to what she just heard. She wondered if Vanessa really just trying to protect Aria or if she was just trying to make her crazy. Hearing Vanessa and Edmund's voices around the corner, Kendal thought she found her answer.

"She doesn't know the kind of guy you really are, Edmund."

"She knows everything she needs to know about me, and deeply cares for me. There is nothing you can do to separate us, Vanessa."

"Want to bet?"

Kendal turned the corner to find Vanessa's arms wrapped around Edmund's neck, kissing him roughly. Her blood rose like lava flowing from a volcano. This cannot be happening again.

"What the hell is going on here?" Kendal raged at them.

"Kendal, he's been flirting with this whole week and now's he kissed me," Vanessa stated, desperately. "He really likes me, not you."

Edmund, who had been holding his arms out the whole time with a soda in one hand, appeared utterly surprised.

"Really!" Kendal raged, unconvinced. "So both of the guys I have date just happened to fall for you too?"

"Kendal, listen to me," Vanessa pleaded. "Edmund really is not the kind of guy you want to be with. He will…"

Before she could finish, Kendal snatched the soda from Edmund's hand, thrashing it directly at Vanessa's face.

"I don't want to hear it, Vanessa! If you are going to be like this then we cannot be friends!" She began to storm off before turning back to order, "Edmund, let's go."

Edmund followed Kendal to her locker, saying, "Kendal, darling, I swear, she was the one that kissed me. I honestly had no idea it was coming." He gently brushed his hand against her cheek. "You do believe me, don't you?"

Kendal sighed trying to calm down as she turned to face him. "I believe you Edmund. I'm just frustrated that I tried being nice to Vanessa so we could be friends. I was even willing to forget about what happened with her and Ian, but she is still determined to make my life hell! This only proves it."

"Shh," Edmund comforted putting his arm around her. "Don't worry about Vanessa. I promise after our dinner tonight you will forget all about her."

Kendal pulled away. "Oh, right about that. Um, Aria told me my mom is planning a surprise party for me tonight, and I probably should be there."

"Oh, I see." Edmund, still holding her hand gazed down in disappointment.

"But, I was thinking that since it's not until tonight you and I could go out right after school. Is that okay with you?"

Edmund smiled as he kissed her hand. "Whatever pleases the birthday girl."

"We do need to talk," Kendal muttered as Edmund walked away.

She thought again about what Vanessa said before. Kendal did not want to believe the girl who tried to sabotage her relationship twice over the most caring, charming man she has ever know. However, what Vanessa pointed out about Aria not willing to forgive Edmund for whatever he did actually seemed to make sense. She wanted the truth but she wanted to hear it from him. Kendal figured that Vanessa could not possibly mean that Edmund would try to harm her physically. She could not picture him doing something like that at all. But even with her certainty, she checked her purse to make sure she had her can of pepper spray her dad bought her, just in case.


	24. Chapter 24 Shortest Darkest Day

_Chapter 24_

_Shortest Darkest Day_

Aria walked up and down the hallways looking for a sign of either Kendal or Vanessa, desperately hoping that by the time she found them they would be laughing and talking like old friends again. Spotting Kendal storming down in her direction, her burning red face informed her otherwise.

"Kendal?" Aria asked approaching her. "What happened?"

"Vanessa is what happened," Kendal fumed, bitterly. "I'd tried being nice to her but she is just determined to make my life miserable!"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Aria then asked, "What did she do now?"

"She kissed Edmund!" Kendal raged on. "Can you believe that? Just as I was about to forgive her for what happened with Ian she goes off and does it again!"

Aria could not help but suggest weakly, "Do you think that maybe Edmund…"

"No," Kendal interrupted before she could finish. "I could tell by his reaction it was all her."

"Do you know where Vanessa is now?" Aria asked looking around.

Kendal folded her arms. "Probably in the restroom. I did pour soda on her so… well, it's not like she didn't deserve it." She let out one final huff and then started to walk off but not before adding, "Oh, and you might want to warn Walter about what he's dating now. Personally, I think he can do a lot better."

With no idea what to say or do next, Aria made her way to the restroom to confront Vanessa. This made absolutely no sense. Vanessa knows exactly what Edmund is so what possible reason could she have for kissing him? Was she really that determined to make Kendal's life miserable? Aria wondered if this drama would ever end.

As Aria slowly opened the restroom door, she found Vanessa at the sink washing up.

Vanessa looked up and offered her old friend a half smile. "Oh, hi Aria. I guess you probably heard about what just happened."

Aria nodded. "Vanessa, please tell me there was a reason for you kissing Edmund other than the simple desire to upset Kendal again."

"Well, I figured that since that was how I got her to break up with Ian it would work for Edmund too," Vanessa explained, as she continued trying to get the Coke stains off her shirt.

"Oh," Aria sighed relieved that she was actually trying to help. "Wait, do you know what's going on?"

"Yeah, Derek told me," Vanessa informed her. "He's really worried about you. So am I. Since that thing is going to happen tonight I just got desperate for a way to stop it and well, that was the first thing that came to mind. I guess we can just think of another way to stop Kendal from going out with Edmund tonight."

"Well, actually I already did," Aria pointed out weakly. "I told her there will be a surprise party at her house so she will be safe in her own house."

Vanessa swung around to face her. "Are you kidding me? So I pretty much did this for nothing?"

Aria shrugged. "I'm afraid so. I would have told you if I knew you were interested in helping."

Vanessa sighed looking down at her stained shirt. "And Walter tells me karma isn't real, just all in my head. I have to say, I disagree." Reminded of her new relationship, Vanessa pressed both hands on the edge of the sink, hanging her head low. "Oh no, Walter! What if he finds out? I figured I would be the one to screw up our relationship but I thought we would at least last longer than a day!"

"I won't say anything to him," Aria assured her. "I know you only did it to help so there's no reason get him upset. And I don't think Kendal will say anything to him since she seemed to be under the impression that I was going to tell him."

"Thank you, Aria," Vanessa said sincerely. "Look, I'm really sorry about the way I've been acting lately."

"It's okay. At least, now you're trying to help."

Vanessa sighed as she turned back to face the mirror. "Yeah, well I pretty much came up with the stupidest plan possible and look where it got me."

"Well, if it makes you feel better your plan was genius compared to Derek's," Aria offered trying to comfort her.

"Oh, yeah. What did Derek do?"

"He kind of… well he proposed to me."

Vanessa put her hand over her mouth unable to control her laughter. "Are you serious? He actually asked you to marry him? What was he thinking?"

"Well, he really just wanted to keep me safe," Aria defended. "He just thought that…"

"Getting married would make everything go away," Vanessa finished still giggling.

"Really?" Aria stood with her arms folded. "I have to deal with a proposal at age sixteen and you're just going to laugh about it."

"Oh come on! You have to admit it's so ridiculous it's funny."

"Fine," Aria gave in. "But in that case, I get to laugh at you for being drenched in sticky soda."

Vanessa nodded as the girls shared a good laugh for the first time in what seemed like ages.

After a few moments Aria looked at her watch and exclaimed, "Oh my God! I completely forgot about class! I don't have a nurse's excuse like you do.

Vanessa just shrugged unalarmed. "Don't you just have English now? I think you will be fine. Myrtle was the teacher that broke up and she only gave them a warning that if they do it again they'll get detention."

"Are you serious?" Aria gaped. "On her first day, she gave me detention just for disagreeing with her and when two boys fight she lets them off with a warning?"

"What do expect? It is Myrtle after all."

Aria let out a breath not sure why she was getting so worked up something this trivial. "Yeah, I suppose you are right. I can't expect her to give out fair and appropriate consequences. At least Walter didn't get in trouble."

"Yeah, thank goodness," Vanessa agreed. "So is he going to that party you are planning for Kendal?"

Aria nodded. "Yeah. I was going to invite you too but now, I don't think that would be such a good idea."

Vanessa sighed. "Well, I guess I destroyed any chances of Kendal and me being friends again."

"I'll talk to her and try to figure out a way to explain why you did what you did," Aria assured. "But it probably won't be until tomorrow once this whole thing blows over. Tonight, I just need to focus on keeping Kendal alive."

xXx

"So where are we going?" Kendal asked, as Edmund drove her across town in his black BMW.

"I was thinking of taking you to my place," Edmund answered looking straight ahead. "You said you wanted to talk, am I correct?"

"Yes, but I would rather go to a public place," Kendal said, firmly, glancing at him as he drove.

Edmund pursed his lips but answered, "As you wish. In that case I know this small restaurant just east of downtown I think you will enjoy."

"That sounds fine," Kendal agreed feeling more and more uncomfortable, as she kept giving him sideways glances, for a reason she could not explain.

They arrived at this small restaurant, Evalius, a place Kendal had never heard of. It appeared as a tiny café/bar with small tables and a bartender up front. Kendal took comfort in the fact that there was other couples there appearing to be enjoying themselves.

"How did you find this place?" Kendal asked, as Edmund pulled the chair out for her.

"My family has been going here for years," Edmund explained, as he seated himself across from her.

"Is this the place you took Aria for her birthday?" Kendal asked, trying to sound casual.

"Actually I took her to the Café Royale. I did not think it would be appropriate to do the exact same thing for two different girls."

Kendal opened to mouth to say something about Aria but the waitress stopped by to take their orders. "What can I get for you this evening?"

"I'll have the ravioli," Edmund answered, handing her his menu.

The waitress took it, jotting down his order. "And for you, Miss?"

"I'll just have a salad," Kendal muttered.

Edmund reached his hand across the table to take hers. "Ah, come now, darling. It's your birthday. You should eat more than a salad."

"Fine," Kendal agreed, avoiding eye contact with both Edmund and the waitress. "I'll have the same thing."

Once their food arrived and they began to eat, Kendal kept thinking about how desperately Aria tried to keep her from going on this date and what Vanessa said.

"Something wrong, my dear?" Edmund asked. "Are you not enjoying your meal?"

Kendal hastily shook her head. "No, it's fine. I guess I'm just not use to this many carbs at once. My mom never lets me near this kind of food."

"I see. Well, like I said, it is your birthday. You should be able to eat what you desire on this special day. Shall I order desert?"

"No," Kendal answered quickly. "Aria said there would be a cake later so I probably shouldn't."

Edmund looked at her in a way that gave Kendal shivers. "Are you sure? This place is especially known for their apple pie. How about I order one for us to share?"

Kendal nodded even though her uneasy feelings grew even greater. She then remembered why she came here in the first place with him, to find out the truth.

"Edmund," Kendal breathed slowly trying to think of how to best put this. "There is something I wanted to ask you about you and Aria. How exactly did you two…"

At that moment Kendal found herself interrupted by her own phone. Seeing that it was Aria she immediately picked it up. "Hello."

"Hey, Kendal, it's getting close to party time," Aria answered. "Where are you?"

Kendal briefly looked at the time. "Um, I'm at my house. You can come over in about thirty minutes."

"Um, Kendal. Walter and I are already here." Aria's voice suddenly filled with worry. "Kendal, where are you? Please tell me you are not with Edmund right now."

Kendal, feeling guilty for lying to Aria, did not know what to say. "I, um…"

"Kendal, I promise I won't get mad," Aria continued, urgently. "Just please tell me the truth. Are you with Edmund?"

"Yes," Kendal finally admitted. "I just wanted to talk to him. I'll still be there for the party, I promise."

"Kendal, listen to me. I want you to tell me exactly where you are right now."

"It's this small café east of downtown." Kendal scrutinized the restaurant for a sign, as she could not remember the place. "I think it is called Eva…"

Edmund swiftly pulled the phone from her hand, shutting it off.

"Edmund!" Kendal exclaimed. "That was rude!"

He looked at her sincerely. "I am sorry, darling, but I just want this evening to be for you and me. I don't think you chatting with my ex-girlfriend would be such a good idea now. How would you feel if I were to call Ian right now?"

"I guess I see your point," Kendal muttered, as she looked around thinking she would not mind if she were to see Ian right now. "We should probably go anyway. I did tell Aria I would be there. Plus, it's already getting dark."

"It gets dark earlier now. Today, after all, is the shortest day of the year. Besides we still have not had desert," Edmund declared, as the waitress came out with the apple pie.

Kendal eyed the pie suspiciously. "I don't remembering you ordering this."

"They brought it out because it is your birthday."

"How do they know it is my birthday, Edmund? I don't remember you telling anyone since we arrived."

Edmund held out a piece to her. "Come on. Just one bite and then we can leave."

"I'm not hungry," Kendal stated, firmly.

Edmund let out a heavy breath as he tilted his head downward. When he gazed back up, his eyes grew much darker. "You know, Kendal. You are making this much more difficult than Aria did."

"What did you do to her?" Kendal demanded, feeling her body begin to shudder.

"Something terrible indeed," Edmund responded without even a hint of remorse. "But it is nothing compare to what I am about to you."

Kendal started to rise up from her chair but Edmund snatched her wrist.

"Edmund, we are in a public place," she reminded him.

Edmund just smiled, slyly. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Confounded, Kendal gawked about the café to find that it had become an empty, deserted building. "But how?"

"Magic, my dear." Edmund stood up, with still a firm grip on her wrist. "Now, we have a wedding ceremony to attend."

In all her life, Kendal had never felt such daze. She had no idea what Edmund was planning for her, how this café transformed into an old rusty building, or what wedding would take place later. All Kendal knew for sure at the moment, she had to get as far away from Edmund as possible. With her free hand, she grabbed her purse and flogged it across his face as hard as her abilities allowed her, knocking him over. As Edmund rose, Kendal dug frantically through her purse, snatching the pepper spray, aiming it directly at his eyes. As soon as he fell once again to the ground, Kendal did not hesitate for another moment. She ran.

To her dismay, Kendal found that this whole area appeared abandoned, but how? It did not appear this way when they arrived. What was happening?

Kendal dug around for her phone but realized she left it with Edmund. There was no way she would go back. She rushed up the dark eerie road in search of a pay phone but had no luck.

_Great, what am I suppose to do now? _Kendal wondered in panic.

At the moment she spotted Edmund evacuate the building still rubbing his red, over-flowing eyes, Kendal's heart began to beat rapidly. She could not let him see her. Desperate, she ran behind, another empty building. As Kendal slowly backed away so Edmund could not spot her but still remained in her view, she felt two strong hands grab her shoulders and spin her around.

"Mr. Evans?" Kendal gasped, immediately recognizing her one-day English substitute she shared so much with.

"Kendal, you look as lovely as I remember you," he said, smoothly, with a firm grip on her.

Ignoring her confusion of suddenly seeing him again, Kendal panted crucially, "Mr. Evans, there's someone after me!"

"Yes, I am aware of that, my dear," Mr. Evans stated, calmly. "He is working for me."

Before Kendal had a chance to react, he pulled out this shimmering green powder from his pocket, blowing it directly at her. Kendal then felt a sudden dizziness, as though she had just been placed on a rollercoaster, soon after followed by nothing.


	25. Chapter 25 Now Everyone Knows

_Chapter 25_

_Now Everyone Knows_

"Come on, Kendal. Pick up the phone," Aria muttered in frustration, as she tried calling her for the fifth time. "Any luck Walter?"

Walter, holding up his Internet phone, shook his head. "No, there's nothing east downtown. I think that area's still under construction. Are you sure that's where she said she was?"

Aria nodded. This did not make any sense. Was Edmund able to create an illusion so Kendal would think she was in an actual restaurant? What frightened Aria the most was when Kendal said the name of the place it sounded like she started to say Evalius.

Aria took in a deep breath, as she looked directly at her friend. "Walter, can I ask you a huge favor? I need to borrow your car. I'm going to go find them."

Walter just looked at her concerned. "If she's in real trouble, shouldn't we call the police?"

Aria shook her head. "The police won't be able to help, Walter. You will have to trust me on that. I just have to go see what I can do, and I need to hurry."

To Aria's surprise he did not argue but did say, "Okay fine, but I'm going with you."

"Walter, you have no idea where we could be going," Aria protested, not wanting to drag him into this mess.

"I don't care, Aria. You should not have to do this alone."

Aria felt the urge to hug him after those words, especially because since she found out Edmund was after Kendal she had been trying to save her all by herself. She remembered how frustrated she felt when everyone just told her to stay out of it. And now, here stood Walter, willing to help her when she did not even ask. Aria just hoped that they could get there before Edmund takes Kendal to the real Evalius.

They both told Kendal's mother and stepfather they would be right back and got into Walter's car, heading downtown. As they drove, Aria's phone rang.

"It's Vanessa," Aria said aloud before picking up. "Hey, now's really not a good time."

"That doesn't sound good," Vanessa responded in a worried tone. "Are you at Kendal's house?"

"Not anymore. She went out with Edmund right after school and didn't tell me, and now every time I try calling her I can't get a hold of her. Right now, we are going downtown to try and find them."

"We?" Vanessa demanded. "Is Walter with you?"

Aria sighed. "Yes, he insisted on going."

"Aria, Walter doesn't even know what he's getting in to!" Vanessa stammered so loudly Aria had to move the phone a couple inches away from her ear.

"I know, I know, but hopefully we get there before Edmund takes her to… well, you know."

Aria glanced over and caught Walter's puzzled expression, but he kept on driving.

"I should be there," Vanessa stated, firmly. "Is there any way I can get there and meet you?"

"No, Vanessa, I should think you should stay home."

Vanessa ignored this. "Maybe I can catch a bus heading downtown."

"Is she insisting on coming?" Walter asked, worried, and as Aria nodded he said, "Just tell her we'll take care of it. I'd rather she just stay in her house and be safe."

"Was that Walter?" Vanessa demanded, angrily. "For God's sake, we just started dating today and he's already starting the overprotective boyfriend thing!"

"Speaking of overprotective boyfriends, could you not mention any of this to Derek?" Aria pleaded. "He would only panic and may even try to stop me which I cannot deal with right now."

"But Aria…"

"We'll call you when we get back." Before Vanessa could protest, Aria hung up the phone.

Aria felt a slight twinge of guilt as she hung of on her best friend, especially now that Vanessa has finally come around and actually wanted to help. She just could not stand the thought of everyone risking their lives. Looking over to Walter, Aria knew that if they did not make it in time and she would actually need to go to Evalius, she would have to figure out some way to convince him to either to stay in the car and wait for her or go home.

"Is that Mr. Evans?" Walter asked in shock, as he pulled up to the deserted area of east downtown, putting the car in park.

"Yes." Aria stared over to their former English substitute dreadfully as she saw a flash of blonde hair fall out from his right arm. "And he's got Kendal!"

Without another thought, Aria jumped out of the car, rushing over to them, Walter close behind her.

Mr. Evans, who Aria now knew to be Lord Argarion, turned to face them and sneered, "Why good evening, Princess Aria of Galatia. I am afraid you are too late for your friend."

With that, he pulled out a small crystal bottle of this purple liquid, poured it in front of him, and the next thing Aria knew, Lord Argarion had disappeared right before their very eyes along with Kendal. Aria did not need to look at Walter to imagine how jolted his expression must appear after what they just saw.

xXx

Despite what Aria told her, the first thing Vanessa did once her friend hung up on her was call Derek.

The second he picked up, Vanessa did not waste any time. "Derek! It's Vanessa. Apparently Edmund's got Kendal right now and Aria and Walter are going after them."

"What?" Derek burst out in panic. "Why didn't she call me?"

"She didn't want to worry you," Vanessa explained in slight irritancy. "Look, we've got to do something! I need you to…"

"I'm leaving right now!" Derek stated, firmly, as Vanessa heard him hustling franticly down the steps. "Do you know where they are?"

"Aria said something about east downtown," Vanessa recalled, as she paced back and forth in her bedroom. "Wait, Derek. You have to come pick me up."

"There's no time," Derek protested, slamming his car door and starting his engine.

"Please, Derek. I don't drive and even if I did neither of my parents are home so there's no car. Besides, if this Lord of evil guy is really going to try to kill Kendal, Aria is going to need all the help she can get to save her."

"Fine," Derek gave in. "Just make sure you're ready when I get there."

"I'll wait for you out front."

Slipping her tennis shoes on, Vanessa rushed to her bedroom door ready to go downstairs to wait for Derek. However, when she opened her door, there stood someone she was not expecting to see.

"Ian!"

Wearing an utterly bewildered expression, holding Vanessa's navy blue jacket in one hand, Ian stood frozen unsure what to say or do.

"Oh, thanks. I must have left this at your house." Vanessa took the jacket trying to seem casual but it did not seem to fool Ian as he remained in his shocked state.

She then looked at him with dread, asking softly, "Ian, how much of that did you hear?"

xXx

"Walter, listen to me." Aria put her hands on his shoulders, trying to keep as calm as possible. "There's this small deserted building at the end of the main road in downtown Norfolk. I need to drop me off at that place and then go straight home. Okay?"

Walter, still staring right at the spot where Lord Argarion had disappeared, did not seem to hear her.

"Walter!" Aria persisted, desperately, meeting his eyes. "Look, I can't imagine what you are feeling right now, but if there is a chance in saving Kendal we need to go now!"

After a few more stunned moments, Walter finally choked out, "Where is he taking her?"

"To this place called Evalius," Aria answered, urgently, as she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards his car. "And the only way I can get there is through that building I told you about downtown."

Catching on to her panic and urgency, without any more debate, Walter got in the car and drove Aria to the building, containing within it the portal. The very second his car was put in park, Aria leaped out of it, dashing to the side window, she would climb in when Adora did not accompany her. The only thing that prevented Aria from jumping into the fountain was the realization that Walter stood right behind her.

"Walter!" Aria breathed. "I can take it from here. It's best you just go home."

He just stared at her in disbelief, "You actually think I will simply just go back to my house while you go God knows where after Kendal all by yourself?"

"Walter, please! I don't have time to debate with you. You have no idea where I will have to go. Just trust me. It would be better for your own sanity if you just stay here."

Walter found himself almost to the point of shouting. "For my own sanity! Aria, I just watched a man disappear before my very eyes. I don't even know what to make of that!" He paused and added more calmly. "I do know whatever is going on is serious and I want to help. Like I said before, you should not have to do this alone. Besides, Kendal is my friend now, too." He slowly walked up to her and asked, "Now, where exactly are we going?"

Aria sighed as she could see there no way she could win this, not to mention the more time she spent debating, the less she had to rescue Kendal. She had no choice but to let Walter come with her.

Taking his hand, Aria breathed deeply as she said, "Walter, there is so much I need to tell you about where we are going, but since Kendal may not have a lot of time, we are going to have to talk on the way, okay?"

As Walter nodded, Aria, still holding his hand, walked him over to the fountain, and together, they both stepped in.

xXx

_"Kendal, can we talk?" Ian asked as he spotted her walking down the hallway to the cafeteria._

_ Kendal, though slightly hesitant at first, nodded. "Alright."_

_ Grabbing her coat, she followed him outside to the courtyard so they were alone, and Ian pulled out a small box from his pocket. "I got you a birthday present."_

_ Kendal opened the box to find a silver chain bracelet with a seashell charm on it. "Wow, Ian. I don't know what to say."_

_ "I remember you admiring it the last time I took you to the mall. You said it made you think of the ocean. I went back later that evening and got it for you that day and I just wanted to give it to you."_

_ "I love it," Kendal said, softly, as Ian put it on around her wrist. "Ian, I… I should probably go ahead and go to lunch."_

_ As she turned to leave, Ian, suddenly gaining boldness, grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Kendal wait. I have been doing a lot of thinking about us and I think we should get back together."_

_ Kendal looked down and sadly sighed. "Ian, please don't do this. I can't…"_

_ "Kendal," he interrupted, gently taking her hand. "I am truly sorry about what happened with Vanessa at the dance. I promise nothing like that will ever happen again. If we could just start over than maybe…"_

_ Now Kendal became the one who interjected. "Ian, I've already forgiven you about the dance. Believe it or not, I'm not even mad at Vanessa anymore, but I am with Edmund now and we are happy."_

_ "Edmund," Ian repeated the name with a hint of resentment in his tone. "Kendal, listen to me. There's something about that guy. I don't know what it is exactly, but something that tells me that he's bad news. I don't think you should be with him."_

_ Kendal just gave him a half bittersweet smile. "Do you really think he's bad or are you just thinking that because he happens to be the first guy your ex-girlfriend is dating?"_

_ "No, Kendal. I really think…"_

_ "Ian, I know how it feels. You should hear some of the things I thought about Vanessa when you two started dating," Kendal pointed out, sympathetically. "Edmund has been nothing but wonderful to me since we've begun dating." She paused before adding, "I truly do hope someday you will find someone just as good to you. That way, we can both finally move on."_

_ Before Ian had a chance to say anything else, Kendal softly kissed his cheek and then walked back into the building leaving him speechless._

Ian recalled how he felt earlier that day talking with Kendal. Watching her walk away, his heart dropped as something unexplainable told him there might be a good chance he would not have another opportunity to make things right with her. As Ian had his ear pressed against Vanessa's bedroom door, listening to her phone conversation, the fear of something awful happening to his former girlfriend, only grew stronger. When Vanessa found him, Ian knew he had to find out exactly what was going on and it would be from her.

"I heard you Vanessa," Ian argued, as he followed he downstairs. "You said someone was going to try to kill Kendal!"

"I didn't mean literally, Ian," Vanessa protested, trying to sound convincing. "Look, I really appreciate you bringing me back my jacket but I think it would be best now if you just go home."

Before Vanessa could open the front door, Ian grabbed her arm and imploring, "Vanessa, what is going on? Please just tell me the truth. Is Kendal in trouble? Is it Edmund? Did he do something to her?"

"Ian," Vanessa said calmly, not planning to answer. "I think it would be best if you just go home. Everything will be fine."

Ignoring her pleas, Ian demanded, "Where is Kendal? I am not going anywhere until you tell me what is going on!"

Vanessa sighed, giving up. "Ian, do you remember Mr. Evans?"

"That creepy English substitute we had that spent the entire day flirting with Kendal? I could hardly forget about him. What does he have to do with any of this?"

"Well," Vanessa breathed, as she contemplated the best way to explain this. "There's a good chance Kendal is with him now and if she is then its possible she might, um… she might not make it."

Ian barely noticed Derek pulling up in front of Vanessa's house, as he stood frozen, at a loss of words. Sure, he could right away tell Mr. Evans was a creep. Anyone would think that of a middle age man flirting with a teenage girl, but apparently he did not know the half of it. Was this man, actually planning on murdering Kendal?

"Come on, Vanessa, get in the car!" Derek ordered, urgently. "We have to go now if we want to stop Aria in time!"

"Um Derek…" Vanessa pulled Ian to the car in Derek's sight. "We have a problem."

Derek's face fell when he saw his best friend's confused, anguished expression. "Ian, what are you…" Unable to come up with something to say, he turned to Vanessa instead, asking, "What did you tell him?"

"I told him Mr. Evans has Kendal," Vanessa answered, seeing this displeased Derek she defended with, "I had no choice! He heard me talking to you on the phone."

"Is he going to kill her?" Ian demanded. "Shouldn't we call the police?"

"They won't be able to help," Vanessa informed him, dreadfully, then looked at Derek. "The last time I tried dialing Aria's phone, it was out of reach which means she's probably went…" She glanced sideways at Ian, "you know where so that's where we will have to go to help her."

"Wait," Derek protested. "What exactly is the plan? Are we helping Aria or stopping her?"

Vanessa sighed as she answered, "What we should have been doing in the first place, Derek, helping her. If we had done that then maybe we would be by her side right now instead of left behind in worry."

"Fine," Derek agreed, reluctantly. "Both of you get in the car. Let's go save Kendal."

"Where exactly are we going?" Ian asked, concerned, as he got in the car and buckled his seatbelt.

Derek started the engine, and answered, "I can't explain it to you, man. You are just going to have to see this place for yourself."


	26. Chapter 26 Lost

_Chapter 26_

_Lost_

"So are you sure they already went over to…" Derek, driving, briefly glanced to the back seat at Ian as he questioned Vanessa, "well, you know?"

Vanessa stared at her phone in frustration as she answered, "I tried calling both Walter and Aria several times and both of their phones are out of reach. What else could that mean?"

"Where did they go?" Ian demanded.

"I told you, man. You are just going to have to wait and see," Derek told him. "If we told you, then you would just think we both lost our minds."

"I'm already starting to wonder about that," Ian grumbled but did not push the matter any further.

The three of them sat in silence for a few moments as Derek continued to drive in determination. He then broke the reticence asking Vanessa, glumly, "So what are the chances of us actually winning once we are there?"

"According to what Aria told us, not very good," Vanessa replied, softly, staring down at the ground in deep thought before an idea came to her. "Wait. What about Myrtle?"

"What about Myrtle?" Derek repeated puzzled.

"Who's Myrtle?" Ian asked.

"Ms. Malone," Vanessa quickly answered before turning back to Derek. "Maybe if she helps then we can win. Since in the other world she's considered evil, maybe that would count as evil winning if she helps us."

Derek considered this. "That's not a bad idea, but how do we know we can trust her? She did try to kill Aria, remember?"

"Ms. Malone tried to kill Aria?" Ian implored in utter shock.

"Yeah, that's kind of a long story," Vanessa said to him, and then told Derek, "I would hardly count that. After all, Myrtle did know it wasn't going to work, not to mention, she has a much better reason to hate this Lord What's His Face than Aria right now. Maybe she will want revenge."

Derek sighed. "Aria told me she already tried the whole revenge pitch with Myrtle and it got her no where. Besides, we have no way of getting in touch with her. We don't have her number or even know where she lives. There's no time to go gallivanting across town trying to find her."

"Would she still be at the school?" Ian suggested, weakly.

Derek glanced at the time. "I doubt it. It's after 6:00. Despite what we thought in first grade, teachers don't actually live at the school."

"Some of them do stay this late," Vanessa pointed out. "We should try calling the school just in case. Do you know the number?"

Derek shook his head. "No but it might be in the handbook which I think is somewhere in the back."

"Here it is," Ian picked the Sheerwood handbook off the ground and handed it to Vanessa.

Vanessa took it and dialed the number rapidly.

"This is Principal Whiteman. What can I do for you?"

Vanessa breathed nervously, trying to think of what to say. "Hi, um, this is Vanessa Cooper. I wanted to talk to Ms. Malone about an extra credit project I am doing for her class."

"I'm afraid she's in a conference right now," Principal Whiteman informed her. "It should be at least another thirty minutes. Is there anything you would like me to tell her tonight or can this wait until tomorrow."

Vanessa sighed. "Can you just tell her I have a question about my project called Evalius, please?"

"Evalius," he repeated with a hint of confusion in his tone. "Alright, will do, Miss Cooper. Have a good evening."

As he hung up abruptly, Vanessa muttered, "Well, I guess it was worth a try. Maybe she'll understand what I meant and actually come."

Derek pulled up in front of the mysterious building at the end of the road. He immediately prepared to jump out, Ian still appeared confused and hesitant, and Vanessa remained seated, starring at the ground in a daze.

"Come on, Vanessa," Derek urged her. "We have to move!"

Vanessa did not seem to hear him as she mumbled softly, "This is all my fault. If she dies then it's because of me."

"How is this your fault?" Ian asked. "You're not the one that caused Kendal to fall in the hands of this creep."

"Aren't I?" Vanessa stammered more loudly now shifting her stare to Ian. "Just think about it. If I hadn't decided to go after you at the Homecoming Dance then Kendal would have never gone out with Edmund, you two would still be together and she would be safe."

Ian just sighed. "You two say that Mr. Evans is the mastermind behind all this, right?" As Derek nodded in affirmation, Ian continued, "Well, I remember the first day he came to our school, his eyes almost immediately fell on Kendal. If he is really as evil as you two claim then he probably would have found some other way to get lure her. After all, Kendal and I were hanging by a thread at that point. All Edmund would have had to do is show up and act all charming and perfect, and…." Ian clenched his fists. "Man, I really hate that guy."

"Me too, man." Derek put his hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Me too. Now, lets go before it's too late."

"I just hope it's not already too late for her," Vanessa commented, as they rushed to the building. "I just wished I felt this way before. I still can't believe all the time I wasted trying to take her down."

Even though Derek knew this was no time for a joke, he could not resist pointing out, "Well, maybe you two's intense desire for revenge on each other is enough to count as evil. In that case, we may actually have a chance in winning."

As the three of them crawled in through the window, Ian commented, "I still don't get how this whole evil must win thing works, but it sounds like you may be the one who can save her life, Vanessa."

Vanessa tried to smile, as she gazed into the fountain. "Well, in that case, while we're saving her, I'll be thinking of a way to be her back for dumping Edmund's soda on me."

Derek nudged her playfully. "That's the spirit. Now, we better go."

"Um, where exactly are we going from here?" Ian asked now more confused than even.

Vanessa sighed, taking his hand, gently pulling him towards the fountain. "Ian, listen to me. It's going to be okay. Why don't you take Derek's hand and we are all going to step into the fountain together. I know you are probably going to freak out, but don't worry. We will explain everything when we get there. Okay?"

Ian's befuddled gaze remained pointing directly at the fountain, his mind still filled of questions, but seeing this was not the time for asking him, he simply nodded. At the exact same moment, the three of them stepped in prepared to be thrust into the other world.

xXx

"So let me get this straight," Walter summarized as he and Aria plowed through the fields, still enchantingly deep green. "You were born in this fairy tale dimension and you are the Sleeping Beauty here…"

"One of the many Sleeping Beauties, yes," Aria confirmed. "Apparently there were hundreds of others before since, well…"

"Since these fairy tale stories repeat themselves here, as you said before," Walter finished for her, with his hand on his head, still trying to grasp all this.

Aria just smiled. "Exactly. See, you seem be getting this. Maybe since you obviously know a lot about our world, once you learn everything about this one, you can officially say you know, well, everything. You can be the smartest man in both dimensions."

Walter sighed readjusting his glasses. "I feel way too confused right now to make that sort of claim. I still don't get how Kendal got involved in all this. She wasn't born here, too, was she?"

Aria shook her head. "She was chosen by, well, you remember him as Mr. Evans. Whatever story he's from did not make it to our world because it never has a happy ending."

"So how are we expecting to win this?"

"Well, I think when our world is involved it affects the outcome," Aria theorized. "I mean my story turned out differently because of that. I was the one who killed the dragon, and since I didn't really kill Myrtle, technically evil didn't completely lose. Not to mention, Derek and I are having some trouble with the happily ever after part of the story. The point is last time no one died. So I was thinking all we have to do is get Kendal out and stay alive."

"You said Myrtle was Ms. Malone, right?" Walter asked her sounding worried. "Is she still evil? You don't seem to think she's going to try to kill you again."

"No, like I said that part of my story is over. I think she's lost interest in her grudge against me." Aria sighed. "I know it seems strange, but I am really not worried about her coming after me again. She, however, does have a good reason to want revenge on Lord Argarion, but she still won't help."

"So is she good or evil?"

As they approached the cottage, Aria answered in a heavy breath, "Honestly, I don't know. Right now, Myrtle's loyalties seem to be with, well Myrtle."

"Where are we, now?" Walter asked, eyeing the cottage curiously.

"This is Greg's place," Aria explained. "He's a wizard. Last time, he gave Derek a sword to help us fight the dragon. I was hoping he might be able to give us something to help us against Lord Argarion."

Aria knocked on Greg's door, hearing no reply. "Greg, are you in there? It's Princess Aria from Galatia. I need your help with something!"

"Um, Aria," Walter touched her arm to get her attention. "There's a note on the ground."

Aria picked up the letter and read it.

_Went on a journey. May return within a week. If I promised you a magical device, feel free to look in the back room where I keep my books._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Greg_

"Well, I guess let's go see if we can find anything in that back room," Aria suggested opening the unlocked door, walking into the wizard's disorganized cottage.

"He's very trusting," Walter commented. "Not only does he leave the door unlocked but he has a note giving people permission to come into his home while he's out of town?"

"It must be because he lives in the good part of this word. He thinks he has no reason to worry."

They made their way through the mess to the back room Greg described in his letter. The room was filled with, several books lying open on the floor, a few weapons pushed against the wall, and bottled potions, one still on his desk apparently incomplete.

"So you said last time you used a sword, is that correct," Walter asked eying the wall, where one sword laid along with crossbows and daggers.

"Yeah," Aria grabbed the sword, slightly startled when it did not glow. "I guess this will have to do. We need to hurry."

"Aria, look at this."

Walter pulled a book off the top shelf titled, _Evalius._ Tied to the rim of this book was a small dagger, its blade the shape of a bronzed serpent with red eyes.

"Do you think this will help?" he asked.

Aria's eyes lit up. "This is brilliant, Walter! I would have never noticed it. Let's take it with us and maybe we can learn everything we need to know about this place on the way."

"Are we going to walk?"

"I was thinking of checking the barn to see if Greg has any horses or something that can get us there faster," Aria suggested, as they paced rapidly to the barn.

It turns out the only thing there was a chariot with just one donkey. To Aria's dismay, the little brown furred animal had no desire to move at a rapid pace.

Aria let out a frustrated breath as she steered the donkey, trying to urge him to move at least a little quicker. "Well, I guess this still beats walking. Now, we just need to follow the Evalius signs until we reach the castle. Have you found out anything from that book yet?"

Walter, sitting next to her with the book open on his lap, replied, "I did find out how the ritual is performed. First, he has the girl inhale this powder resulting in her falling into a deep slumber. Then, Lord Argarion has his priest use the ingredients from this rare plant, which can grow only once every ten years, to make this special elixir that he pours down his sleeping bride's throat during the ceremony. This magic potion allows him to steal all the remaining years of her life, giving them to him."

"That's horrible," Aria muttered, fearing for Kendal. "Does it say anything about a specific time this ceremony takes place?"

"It says it begins three hours prior to midnight," Walter answered his eyes still on the pages, only taking a moment to glance at his watch. "That gives us less than two hours to get there."

"I'm surprised its not actually midnight," Aria commented, thinking of how in most fairy tales, or any supernatural story for that matter, the magic time is for some reason midnight.

"I think it just has to be complete by then."

"Is there anything else we need to know," Aria asked, as she observed her surroundings transform from colorful and gleeful to dark and dreary, telling her they were getting closer to the desired destination.

Walter continued to scrutinize. "I'm just trying to find something about this dagger that came with the book. Do you think it's supposed to be a way to kill him?"

Aria shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I don't know, maybe. I think for now we should just focus on getting Kendal out of there."

"We might not have a choice," Walter uttered softly, turning his eyes to her. "This guy sounds like pure evil. The book even theorizes that he does not have a soul."

"I just don't feel comfortable with the idea of taking a life. Remember how I told you when Myrtle kidnapped Vanessa I was the one who went to save her. After out fight, I had the sword pointed right at Myrtle's chest and then I just froze. I couldn't do it."

Walter looked down and nodded, not pushing the matter, as he could see the struggle his kindhearted friend faced with this situation.

As the two entered the rusty gates of Evalius, they observed most of the town appeared deserted and unkempt. The few people that briefly came into sight scattered into hiding like frightened mice. The streets were dark, with only some light coming from around the castle, which seemed to be unguarded.

Bringing the chariot to a halt, Aria and Walter cautiously stepped out. Aria grabbed a torch from the wall, and the two of them walked in. The inside of the castle exposed itself as one giant maze, some paths looking like the inside of a luxurious palace with it's golden walls and sparkling chandeliers while others were filled with dust and cobwebs like an old run down motel.

"Which way do we go?" Walter asked.

Aria put her hand on her head in dismay. "I have no idea. This is really weird. Does the book happen to have a map that show us how to get through this maze?"

Walter shook his head in frustration. "No, it just says the ceremony takes place in his sanctuary which is located in the center of this castle."

Aria sighed. "Well, maybe the nicer looking halls lead to the better parts of the palace and the others go to the dungeons."

"That's not a bad theory," Walter agreed, pointing to the grandest path. "How about we try this one?"

Aria nodded as the two of them set forth to the path. The moment they stepped into that particular hallway, it transformed into a dark beaten alley path.

"I think we made the wrong choice," Aria moaned. "How are we suppose to find the sanctuary if each path keeps changing?"

"I don't know. Maybe there's some trick or special way to solve this maze," Walter suggested, though his tone contained little hope.

The next thing they knew, a deep fog brushed past them like a gust of wind.

"Where did that come from?" Aria coughed waving her hands in front of her face.

When she got no reply, Aria turned her head to see if Walter was all right. Horrified, she found that he was nowhere to be seen.

"Walter!" Aria called out, feeling a sudden chill when no one answered. "Walter, are you there?"

_What happened to him?_ Aria wondered in panic, staring down the dark alley.

Aria had no idea where she was now. Could she still be in the castle and this outdoor appearance was merely an illusion? Aria supposed that might be possible.

Staring down the alley path in distress, Aria wondered if she would ever find a way out of this mess or remain forever lost. How was she supposed to be able to save Kendal if she could not even save herself?


	27. Chapter 27 The Ritual

_Chapter 27_

_The Ritual_

"Whoa, this place is insane!" Ian commented looking around in awe as Derek and Vanessa explained everything to him about this world and Aria. "And Aria was actually born here?"

"Yep, she sure was," Derek confirmed. "In this world she is a princess."

"Why doesn't she live here all the time?" Ian wondered. "Heck, I would. It feels so incredible."

"Yeah, the atmosphere does kind of have that mystical feel," Vanessa agreed, as they began to walk. She then looked over at Derek unable to resist adding, "Just think, if Aria had said yes, you two could be living here right now."

Derek smacked his hand against his head. "Why did Aria have to tell you about that?"

"We're best friends," Vanessa pointed out with a smirk. "We tell each other everything."

"You two just made up this afternoon. How did that topic even come up?"

Vanessa just shrugged.

"Wait, I didn't hear about this," Ian chimed in, giving Vanessa a puzzled look. "What did Derek ask Aria, to move here?"

Vanessa grinned as she nodded. "That and her hand in marriage."

Ian then turned to Derek, bewildered. "Dude, you actually asked her to marry you? What did she even say to that?"

Derek sighed. "Well, she did kind of freak out about it."

"Well, yeah, you are in high school," Ian reminded him "Anyone our age would flip out over that. Why did you do it in the first place?"

Derek, still looking straight ahead to the path, answered, "I wanted to protect her. I knew if we were here she'd be safe. You understand, don't you? I mean, if you knew marrying Kendal and bringing her here would ensure her safety, you would do it, right?"

Ian nodded, uttering softly, "Yeah, I guess I see your point."

"Oh my God, you are both insane," Vanessa muttered, as she noticed something in the woods. "Hey, are those horses?"

Derek and Ian turned their heads to see what she was talking about. Sure enough, three mares, two black with one white, strolled along the forest, appearing to move gracefully towards where Derek, Ian, and Vanessa stood on the path.

"Do you think we can ride them to Evalius?" Derek suggested with uncertainty.

"It would be a lot faster than walking," Vanessa agreed, feeling slight awe by the mares' presence.

Ian, however, seemed even more apprehensive than Derek. "Doesn't it seem a little too convenient that these horses just happened to show up as we needed them?"

"Well, we are still in the good part of this world," Vanessa explained to him. "Everything comes more easily for us here. I think we should take advantage of it while we still can."

Seeing her point, both Derek and Ian shrugged in agreement and the three of them mounted the horses and made their way to the dreaded kingdom. While following the signs, they noticed the dramatic change in scenery around them. There seemed to be less and less enchantingly green grass as they rode into the dried up, cracked lands.

Vanessa looked over and noticed both Derek and Ian's expression grew more and more worried, and she then felt the dark dreary feeling take over her as well. Unlike Galatia, these lands had more of and eerie and depressing feeling to them. Vanessa recalled she felt more cheerful than this even when she was held hostage in Myrtle's tower.

As they entered the kingdom, they ignored the fearful citizens, riding straight to the castle with determination. When the approached the dark medieval palace, the three got off their horses, leaving them outside.

"What's with the donkey?" Ian asked observing the small animal lying on the ground, letting out a little huff every few moments.

"Maybe that's how Aria and Walter got here," Derek suggested, offering a small shrug. "If that's the case, they couldn't have arrive that much before us."

"Lets just go find them," Vanessa stated, firmly, as she entered, the boys following.

The three of them came to an immediate halt upon realizing that this castle was indeed a maze. They looked to one another for a suggestion on which way to go, but no one could come up with a reason to take any path.

"Let's just try this one," Vanessa stated impatiently pointing to the path that appeared as a hallway in a run down shack. "If it leads to a dead end then we will just have to retrace our steps and try a different one."

"How do you know this one is right?" Ian asked. "Don't you think it would be one of the nicer paths?"

"It's probably a trick," Vanessa concluded. "Besides, we don't have time to debate or try to figure out which one is right and why. Let's just try this one and like I said, we can always come back."

Unable to come up with an argument, Derek and Ian just nodded and decided to follow. With confidence, Vanessa marched down the shack like hall, but the moment she turned the corner, it changed. Now Vanessa found herself standing in a path that appeared of walls made of vines.

"Okay, that was weird," Vanessa commented, as she turned her head around to see how Derek and Ian reacted, but found that neither of them were with her.

"Derek! Ian!" Vanessa called out in fit of panic. "Where are you?"

_What happened to them?_ Vanessa thought petrified, as her heart began to beat heavily at a rapid pace. _What's going to happen to me?_

At that very moment, one of the vines snatched Vanessa's arm, knocking her to the ground. The next thing she knew, the walls seemed to be closing in on her. To avoid being squashed like an insect, Vanessa scurried with all the speed her body allowed her until she made it around the corner, just barely.

Still panting, Vanessa observed her new surroundings. Now, the walls appeared as the inside of a dark, damp dungeon, with its grey crooked brick walls covered in cobwebs and rusty chains.

Desperately desiring another change in setting, Vanessa hastily hustled towards the next corner in hopes she will find herself in a less disheartened place. While running, she tripped over a chain that had fallen to the ground causing her to stumble. Sitting up, Vanessa pulled off the chains that seemed to wrap around her ankles with her shaking hands. She traced her fingers along the chains to find that they had no end. In panic, she yanked them from the wall. As they fell to the ground they dragged with them a decayed skeleton, landing in front of Vanessa, who screeched in terror.

As she rose up to run, the chains came loose, but as Vanessa turned she slammed hard right into someone.

Rubbing her head, Vanessa looked to see who it was. "Walter!"

"Vanessa!" Walter panted, as the two embraced each other tightly. "How did you get here?"

"I came with Derek and Ian," Vanessa explained, not letting go of his hand. "We rode these horses to the castle, and once we came inside, we choose the path that looked like am old cottage hallway, and the second I turned the first corner both Derek and Ian were gone. What about you? What happened to Aria?"

Walter shook his head as he brushed some of the dirt of his face with his free hand. "I lost her almost seconds after we entered the path. She walked right into this gust of fog and the next thing I knew she was gone. This place seems to be under some strange enchantment where everything keeps changing."

"Where do you think Kendal is now?" Vanessa asked, softly, as the two of them, still holding hands, walked down the dungeon hallway with caution.

"My guess would be wherever the sanctuary is under a deep slumber."

Vanessa looked at him curiously. "Slumber? You think she was put under a sleeping spell?"

Walter nodded as he explained everything he learned about how Lord Argarion performs the ritual every ten years so he can steel his bride's youth.

Vanessa turned her gaze downward as she pondered this. "So it sounds as though the most important part of the ritual is this elixir his priest makes that allows him to actually take her remaining years, right?" As Walter nodded in affirmation, she continued, "So if we can find a way to get rid of that potion stuff then he won't be able to take Kendal's life since you said the ingredients grow only once every ten years."

"That could work," Walter agreed, impressed with her suggestion. "We just have to find where Kendal is first after we figure out how to get through this maze."

"I guess we just have to keep trying every turn and maybe eventually we will find it." Vanessa squeezed his hand tighter as they began to walk forward. "Let's just try to stay together."

xXx

Aria felt as though she had been wondering around for hours even though she knew it could not possibly be that long. The constant change of scenery began to make her dizzy and even slightly nauseous. Throughout the past few turns, she had seen a dark forest with the path made of lined up bare trees, a ghostly hallway with sheer fabric draping down from the walls, and then an outdoor place with the pathway containing bushes with rose thorns on each side of her.

Now after her most recent turn, Aria found herself in the hall of what appeared to be a Renaissance castle with lit up candle sticks hanging even few feet along the walls. Aria noticed that between each candles there were portraits of young women.

"Aria, is that you?"

Aria whirled around as the sound of another human voice took her utterly by surprise.

"Ian!" Aria rushed up to him. "What are you doing here? How did you even get here?"

"I came with Derek and Vanessa," he answered, breathing heavily. "I don't know where either of them are now. We lost Vanessa just seconds after entering this place, and after we turned another corner the next thing I knew Derek was gone."

Aria took his trembling hand, trying to keep her tone as calm as possible. "There's something about this place that makes it easy for people to get separated from each other. Lets hold hands so we can stay together."

Ian nodded, as he observed his surroundings. "Who are all these girls?"

Aria glanced at the portraits as they continued to walk. "I don't know."

Ian stopped, forcing Aria to stop with him, as he starred at one particular portrait. "Is that Ms. Malone?"

Aria gazed upon the younger more innocent appearing Myrtle, now understanding. "These pictures must be all the previous brides."

Reaching out her hand, Aria gently touched her fingers to the portrait of her former archenemy. She noticed that unlike the other intact pictures, Myrtle's had a slash coming from the top left corner of the painting.

"She managed to get away," Ian pointed out, his eyes filled with hope. "That's a good sign, right? It means there's a chance for Kendal, doesn't it?"

Aria felt her own eyes begin to fill of tears. She could not explain why looking at this portrait of Myrtle made her so emotional.

Managing a small nod, Aria quietly choked out, "Yes, yes there is hope for her. Let's keep moving."

Still holding hands to stay together, Aria and Ian quietly walked down to the end of the hall of portraits. She expected there to be another corner to turn to once again change their current setting, but this time at the end of the path they found stairs that led down to what appeared to be a grand room.

"This might be it," Aria muttered, as the two walked down the stairs.

As they entered this room, Aria observed its appearance. She could not imagine how this could pass for a sanctuary with it's black and deep red banners draped from the ceilings, various weapons hanging on the walls, and blood red stained glass windows. This seemed to be more like the home of Dracula. The room appeared circular with more than one entrance. Aria wondered if it was possible that more than one path led to this part of the castle.

"Kendal!"

Ian spotted her lying on a granite stone platform in the center of this room in a deep slumber. She wore a long silk black dress, her face covered by a sheer black veil. Ian rushed over to her, brushing the veil off and gently touched his hand on her cheek. She did not even offer him the smallest reaction to his touch as she remained in her sleeping state.

"How do I wake her up?" Ian demanded, desperately.

"Try true love's kiss," a voice uttered from behind Aria.

Aria turned her head to see whom the familiar voice belonged to. "Derek!"

She rushed over to him and dove in his arms. As he winced, she quickly pulled away. "What happened to your arm?"

Derek looked down at the burn. "One of those paths had fire for its walls and I guess I got a little too close." He sighed. "Why do I always get burned in these places?"

"Are you sure all I have to do is kiss her and she'll wake up?" Ian asked him, unsure.

Derek shrugged, unable to come up with a better solution. "It worked for us. Just give it a try."

Though still uncertain, Ian took a deep breath and bent over gently pressing his lips against Kendal's. Nothing happened.

"Why isn't it working?" Ian grabbed Kendal's shoulders and began to shake her. "Come on, Kendal. Wake up!"

At that moment, a deep psychotic laugh came from the darkest entrance of this room. Aria's face fell, as she watched Lord Argarion enter the room, a broad smug expression on his face.

"You fools," Argarion taunted, as he swiftly approached the stone in which Kendal laid upon. "You actually thought true love's kiss would work here in Evalius?" He brushed his fingers against Kendal's forehead. "You are all too late. There's nothing you can do for her now."

"You bastard!" Ian roared, as he rose up prepared to attack Argarion.

Unfortunately for Ian, the only effort this dark lord had to make was wave his hand and Ian was sent flying back landing hard on his back against the stone ground. While Aria went to see if he was all right, Derek grabbed a silver sword from the wall and prepared his attack. Upon doing this, he faced a similar fate to Ian. Aria stood up, trying to think of something she could do, but before she even had an opportunity, cold rusty chains sprouted from the ground, grabbing first her ankles and soon made their way to her wrists. Desperately looking to her companions, Aria saw the Derek and Ian were now bound as well.

Argarion turned to the entrance directly behind Kendal, rose out his arm, and summoned, "Becket, it is time. Bring me my elixir." He turned back to where the three of them remained bondage and smirked. "It will be nice to have an audience for this ceremony. It is not often my young bride's true love gets to watch. Not to mention, this will be the first time in history the ritual will be done in the presence of a Galatian princess."

As he turned back around, a short bald man, dressed in dark red robes appeared, handing Argarion the tiny diamond shaped bottle, bowing down, mumbling, "My lord."

Before Argarion's fingers were able to touch the elixir, a small dagger, Aria immediately recognized, flew across slashing his cheek. The evil lord whirled around to see where it came from. Aria, too, turned her head to see Walter, his face covered in dirt, giving Argarion a dark glare.

"How dare you." Lord Argarion approach him, his hand on his bleeding cheek, as chains began to wrap around Walter as well. "You actually thought an ordinary young boy would be able prevent this ritual?"

"Not by himself."

Simultaneously, Lord Argarion and Aria's heads turned back to see Vanessa, who had apparently knocked the priest out with a candlestick. She stood, holding up the elixir Lord Argarion so desperately craved.

"It's over," Vanessa, stated boldly, though Aria could see a hint of terror in her eyes. "Without this potion or whatever it is, you won't be able to take Kendal's years."

As Vanessa prepared to smash the bottle, Lord Argarion merely chuckled, quite slyly, as he approached her. "Go ahead, my dear. Smash the potion to the ground. I can simply use my magic to make it reform."

Vanessa's face fell as her arm slowly lowered. She gazed over at Kendal, who looked so helpless in her slumber. Vanessa took a deep breath, poured the elixir down her own throat, and then slammed it to the ground, the glass shattering by her feet.

Appearing victorious, Vanessa glared at Lord Argarion, declaring, "Well, it looks like you won't be able to use this potion after all."

To her surprise, Lord Argarion laughed even louder. As he strolled closer to Vanessa, Aria felt her stomach drop, her heart pounding faster.

"Vanessa Cooper," Argarion uttered in a deep dangerous voice, as he back her up against the wall, making it unable for her to get away from him. "I remember you the day I visited your world. Such strong will you had. I admire those qualities in young women." He paused briefly before adding, "Let me tell you something many do not know about my ritual, young Vanessa. The sleeping powder is _not_ a necessary part. It is merely a courtesy so my bride will not suffer while I steal her youth."

Aria struggled desperately in fear for her friend, but it was no use. She could hear Walter's chains rattling as well.

Argarion continued, "That elixir is the only part of this ritual I absolutely must have for it to work. It seems as though, my darling, you have volunteered yourself to be my new bride."

Before Vanessa had a chance to move, Argarion snatched her shoulders. Her skin began to glow this pale dull white as his turned to vibrant gold. Aria struggled and screamed, but it did no good. It seemed as though the little hope she carried of winning had at that moment evaporated.


	28. Chapter 28 Soul Sacrifice

_Chapter 28_

_Soul Sacrifice_

Aria watched helplessly, wailing and struggling, as her best friend cried out in agony, losing her life right before her very eyes. She could already tell Lord Argarion's blissful, victorious eyes would forever haunt her if she somehow survived after this.

Argarion's victory, however, soon became interrupted as a golden beam of light shot right at his chest, thrashing him against the wall of weapons. Aria turned her head to see where this beam came from, gasping when she saw who came to the rescue.

"Myrtle!" Argarion raged, as he stumbled up to his feet.

Too startled by Myrtle's sudden presence, Aria almost did not notice Adora standing behind her. Waving her wand, Adora shot out a ray of light causing all the chains to turn to dust. The moment of freedom, Aria rushed over to Vanessa who had fallen to the ground, her skin pale white but no longer glowing.

"Vanessa, are you alright?" Aria demanded, as she grabbed Vanessa's arm.

Vanessa, though still coughing, managed to nod. "Yeah, I think so."

Aria ran her fingers through a strand of hair turned grey on Vanessa's head.

Vanessa face fell. "How bad is it?"

"It's just one strand of grey hair. That's it," Aria replied trying to keep her voice from choking. She could not bring herself to think of the possible years her best friend lost to Argarion.

"Adora," Myrtle stated, firmly, "You need to get everyone out now. This may be the only chance."

Adora nodded as she rounded everyone up. "Come on, everyone. Quickly! I've lit up the floor to the fastest safest path out of the castle. Follow it and do not stop for any reason."

Aria and Walter both helped Vanessa up, putting her arms around each of their shoulders as she remained in her weakened state. Ian rushed over to Kendal, still sleeping, and scooped her in his arms. Derek followed close behind Aria.

As the group approached the path, Argarion made one final attempt to stop them, but Myrtle was quicker. The moment he waved his arm, she pointed her wand again knocking him down, this time only to his knees.

"You can't possibly think you can win against me, Myrtle," Argarion sneered at her. "After all, you are in _my_ kingdom."

Myrtle managed a sly grin in return as she swiftly approached him. "I don't know about that, Argarion. I am feeling pretty evil right now. Besides, whatever happens next, you and I have some unfinished business that needs to be settled."

Myrtle then turned only her head to Adora and nodded. Adora then returned the gesture with a bittersweet smile before returning to hustle everyone out.

With Vanessa's arm around her shoulder, Aria ignored the changes in scenery keeping her eyes solely on the lit up ground. She almost could not believe her eyes as they all stepped out the castle's doors where a white rounded carriage awaited them.

"Everyone get in," Adora ordered from behind them, using her wand to open the carriage door. "Quickly!"

First Ian went in with Kendal, followed by Vanessa assisted by Walter who then got in himself. Aria put her foot on the step, Derek standing behind her, but froze at that moment. Something did not feel right.

"Aria, what are you waiting for. Get in!" Adora urged her, gently grabbing Aria's arm to assist her.

"What about Myrtle?" Aria turned back to see that the fairy who save them all had not followed.

"Aria, just get in the carriage," Adora repeated, pretending not to hear her.

"We can't just leave her here!" Aria protested more boldly.

Adora, still holding Aria's arm, looked her directly in the eyes. "Aria, listen to me. This place never has a completely happy ending. Myrtle knows what she is doing. We have to go now."

Aria looked briefly at the carriage then back to the castle, and jerked her arm out of Adora's grasp and made a dash back into the palace doors. Hearing footsteps from behind, Aria turned her head to find Derek rushing up behind her.

Still running with all her might along the lightened path, Aria panted firmly, "You are not going to talk me out of this, Derek."

"Believe me. I know better than that by now," Derek panted as he caught up to her. "You don't have to save everyone by yourself, not this time."

"Thank you Derek." Aria wanted to smile at him to show her utter appreciation but she kept her eyes on the path to avoid getting lost.

"Of course, if you want to get out of this, we can always get married and move to Galatia instead," Derek added, jokingly.

"That's real funny," Aria muttered, thinking that if they survive this then they will at least have that to laugh about later.

Desperately hoping she was not too late, Aria ran into the sanctuary to find Argarion's arm extended out towards Myrtle. From his fingers, a silver beam sprouted out forming itself around Myrtle's neck, choking her.

For a moment, Aria stood helplessly frozen as she watched in terror. Her eyes darted around the room until they fell upon the tiny dagger she and Walter found with the book. Before she could stop herself, Aria grabbed the weapon from beside the stone, streamed over to Argarion, and pierced the dagger right through his heart.

His eyes in a daze, Argarion looked to Aria, uttering softly, "Dear Princess. I never would have expected you to perform such a deed."

Without another word, Lord Argarion then fell to the ground, dead, leaving a traumatized Aria staring down at him. In a trance, Aria could feel her palms sweating and her hands shaking uncontrollably. She thrust the dagger to the ground as though it had burned her fingers.

"Aria!" Derek rushed over to his distressed girlfriend, gently pulling her into an embrace. "It's alright now. It's over."

"Aria!" Adora panted as she entered the room, taken back by the body. "How did you… I thought this place could not have happy endings."

"It's not." Myrtle sat up rubbing her neck as she glanced at both the bloody dagger and then Aria. "At least it's not entirely happy."

xXx

Still dazed and drowsy, Kendal could feel herself gently moving up and down as though she were floating on a river. Slowly, she opened her eyes trying to remember the events that led to this deep slumber.

"Kendal? Guys look, she's awake!"

"Vanessa, is that you?" Kendal sat up, sleepily, rubbing her eyes to her Vanessa and Walter sitting across from her.

"Kendal, I can't believe it! You're awake!" Ian rejoiced, as he held her more tightly.

Though still dazzled, Kendal returned his embrace as she observed her surroundings. She found herself in cushioned seats surrounded by shimmering silver walls in what appeared to be a rounded vehicle.

"Where am I?" Kendal asked, looking out the tiny round window to see the ghostly town of Evalius.

The two boys looked to Vanessa and Walter said, "You've known about this the longest. Maybe you should explain it."

Vanessa opened her mouth but before she could say anything, Kendal recalled her most recent memories.

"Edmund!" she gasped, fearfully. "Where is he?"

Vanessa turned her head to Walter. "Yeah, maybe someone other than me should explain the part about Edmund."

"He was after me," Kendal went on, tightening her grasp on Ian. "I think he was trying to kill me."

Ian just held her closely, consoling her. "It's okay now. You don' t have to worry about him anymore."

Vanessa, however, starred at her in disbelief. "Really? You already know Edmund is the bad guy? Why the hell did you go out with him tonight? I warned you about him this afternoon."

"I went out with Edmund because I wanted to hear it from him," Kendal defended, growing annoyed.

"Okay," Vanessa pretended to consider this. "But how about the part when I said it would be dangerous if you went out with him, remember that? Now, look what happened!"

"Well, maybe if you had just elaborated more on that rather than throwing yourself at Edmund and kissing him I might have actually listened to you!" Kendal retorted, sitting up straighter with her arms crossed.

"You did what?" Walter asked, startled.

Vanessa shifted uncomfortably still in his arms as she looked up to him and assured, "It was nothing. I was just trying to get them apart. You understand, right?"

Walter let out a sigh as he put his arm around her drawing her closer. "Yeah, it's fine. I understand."

Kendal, however, remained irritated. "Funny how your solution to every problem seems to be to kiss whoever I'm dating."

Vanessa, too, sat up straight and fumed, "Sorry I tried to help you. Next time I won't…"

"Hey, hey," Ian interjected, holding his hand up. "Are you two really going to do this right now? I mean Vanessa, you almost died for her a few minutes ago."

Kendal glanced at both Ian and Vanessa utterly shocked as she forced herself to soften. "What?" She looked into Vanessa's eyes deeply now more understanding of why she got so annoyed. "Is that true, Vanessa?"

Vanessa leaned back in her seat and let out a heavy breath, muttering, "Well, I didn't know I was going to die." She folded her arms avoiding eye contact with everyone. "If I did then I probably wouldn't have… well, I don't know."

"Wait a second," Ian came in to change the subject. "I don't understand. How did she wake up?"

Walter looked down to ponder this. "I'm not sure, but it happened at the same time Vanessa's skin returned to its natural color."

"What, it did?" Vanessa held out her arms to examine her own flesh and then grabbed her once grey strand on her head. "Is my hair back to normal too?"

Walter nodded and said, "You were too busy picking a fight with Kendal you didn't even notice."

Vanessa just rolled her eyes in response and then gazed out the window. "Does that mean Aria did something?"

"Where is Aria?" Kendal demanded, then looked again out the window, mumbling, "This place looks terrible."

"She and Derek are in the castle trying to defeat Lord, um… Mr. Evans," Vanessa answered, trying to sound calm.

"Mr. Evans?" Suddenly the last memory prior to her unconsciousness returned to Kendal. "He's the one Edmund was working for. He's behind all this!" She then glared out the window with determination. "I have to find Aria."

Kendal then attempted to push the carriage doors open but found herself thrust back into Ian's arms. She sat back up, bewildered.

"Oh, Adora, the fairy, put a spell on the carriage so we wouldn't be able to get out and follow Aria," Vanessa explained as she leaned back, sighing, and then tried to sound consoling. "Don't worry. I'm sure she's okay. I mean the fact that you woke up is a good sign."

_Did she just say fairy?_ Kendal wondered, feeling even more bedazzled.

"Okay." Kendal put her hand up trying to get her thoughts together. "Will someone please tell me exactly what is going on? What is this place and what do Edmund and Mr. Evans, whatever the hell he is, want with me? And why am I wearing this black gown?"

Vanessa took in a deep breath as she turned her eyes back to Kendal. "Alright, I'll explain everything. First, let me start by telling you that you're, um… well, you are in another world…"

xXx

Aria felt as though she were in a trance as she followed Adora and Myrtle out of the castle, holding Derek's hand. Her body continued shaking, as though she had gone days without eating.

"You know, you did what you had to," Derek uttered, soothingly, as they walked out of the palace doors. "That man was prepared to kill us all without a second thought. Besides, think of all the young girls that may have been chosen in the future to be his bride. You saved their lives. In that case, you should feel glad about what you did."

"I don't feel too happy," Aria mumbled, her eyes still pointing straight ahead.

The moment she dropped the blood stained dagger, Aria could feel her soul begin to rot. As she continued to move forward like a zombie raised from the dead, she wished there was something she could do to make these dreadful feelings evaporate.

"It could be because of the atmosphere here," Adora suggested, as they made their way to the carriage. "It's rather difficult to feel cheerful in a place like this no matter what. Maybe you will feel better once we get back to Galatia."

"And what about Kendal?" Aria wondered aloud in despair. "What if she never wakes up?"

"I don't think you need to worry about that," Myrtle said as she waved her wand, allowing the carriage doors to open.

"Kendal?" Aria entered to find her friend conscious and well.

Kendal turned to face Aria and smiled at her. Aria found herself diving into the carriage to hug her.

"I can't believe it!" Aria pulled away from her looking curiously at everyone. "But how? And Vanessa, you look like you're back to normal."

"Yep." Vanessa beamed as she brushed her hair back with her fingers. "I guess you're back to being the palest one here." She paused while she and Aria laughed and then added in a more serious tone, "We actually thought you might have done something in there to undo his spells."

"Perhaps after his death, Lord Argarion's most recent spells were undone," Myrtle suggested.

"Did one of you actually manage to kill him?" Vanessa asked in shock.

Aria nodded, keeping her eyes downward as she softly replied, "I did." She briefly glanced at Walter and continued, "I used that dagger you found with that Evalius book, Walter."

Walter just nodded quietly, as he seemed to recall Aria expressing her feelings about killing.

"Well, that's good, right?" Vanessa asked looking at her best friend with concern. "It means we don't have to worry about him anymore."

Aria forced out a smile, feeling more comforted now that she found that all her friends came out of this unharmed. "You're right. We don't have to worry about him anymore."

The rest of the carriage ride was rather quiet. Vanessa, looking rather exhausted from her traumatic near death experience leaned against Walter, who had his arm around her looking as though he never wanted to let her go. Kendal, still curious about this new place, gazed out the window in fascination while holding Ian's hand. He had apparently fallen asleep to the smooth ride. Aria remembered Derek telling her that Ian sleeps exactly how she used to, nearly ten hours each night and any opportunity such as a long car ride.

Looking over to Derek sitting across from her, Aria thought about the problems that they were having with their relationship before and how they were never completely resolved. Derek gazed at her and smiled a smile that told her everything between them would be okay.


	29. Chapter 29 Moving On

_Chapter 29_

_Moving On_

The past few days of exams went by as a blur for Aria. Due to recent traumatic events, she had difficultly studying and as result, did not feel confident on a single test. Unfortunately, Aria could not explain to her teachers that she recently rescued her friend from an evil kingdom and nearly died in the process. In this world, the only option was to push past it as though nothing had happened. The only understanding teacher was Myrtle who had given them the easiest exam Aria had ever taken. It contained only five questions two on grammar lessons from first grade that anyone with common sense could answer, two basic opinion questions such as what's your favorite book or movie, and the final question merely asked for suggestions on what they could read next semester.

Her friends seemed to be having just as much trouble with the other class exams this week. Both Vanessa and Ian declared after this they may just drop out of high school all together. Kendal and Derek said they had difficulty recalling information as it usually came fairly easy for them. Even Walter admitted he could not concentrate on most of the tests and did not think he would make his usual straight A's this semester.

Aria felt as though she had been carrying a bag of bricks on her shoulders all week and had finally been able to drop it this day since exams ended this morning. For some reason Aria did not understand they still had to stay in school the rest of the day and attend their regular afternoon classes even though there was nothing left to do.

Making her way to Myrtle's classroom, Aria spotted Kendal and Vanessa talking in the hallway. Since she did not hear their raised voices from where she stood, Aria assumed that they were at last getting along. Slowly, she approached them hoping she was right.

"I still can't believe you nearly died for me," Kendal was saying quietly. "Especially after the way I acted when you tried to warn me."

"Well, I guess I just figured I owed you," Vanessa replied with a shrug. "You know, after that whole thing with Ian at the dance."

Kendal raised her eyebrow. "You steal my boyfriend and then have to pay for it with your life? That doesn't really sound like a fair retribution."

Vanessa crossed her arms and looked up. "You know, you're right. I guess you'll just have to think of a way to make it up to me."

Kendal just gawked at her for a couple seconds before she realized Vanessa was joking. Nearly simultaneously, they began giggling.

"Aright, laughing, that's a good sign," Aria commented as she walked up next to them hopeful. "Does that mean you two are going to friends again?"

"We're working on it," Vanessa answered and then smirked playfully. "I think we'll be fine as long as Kendal doesn't decide to start acting like a stuck up snob again."

"Same goes for you," Kendal retorted, though still grinned.

"Ladies." Principal Whiteman walked by. "I know the semester is nearly over but that doesn't mean you are excused from your classes."

As soon as he turned the corner, Vanessa rolled her eyes. "This school is ridiculous. I don't see why we can't just leave already. I mean our exams are over." Vanessa sighed then added, "Well, I guess I should get going. See you two later."

Aria and Kendal waved bye and then strolled into Myrtle's classroom where their boyfriends waited for them.

"So are you and Ian officially back together?" Aria asked, softly, before going to their desks.

"Well, we have a lot to talk about, mostly apologizing on my part, but…" Kendal smiled. "I think we'll be fine. What about you and Derek? Have you resolved everything yet?"

"We talked some…" Aria's voice trailed off as she reran the brief conversation she and Derek had about their relationship status, then stated firmly, "We're going to be fine too. I know we've had our problems but he's always there for me when it really matters. Not to mention, he's done more than enough to show he truly cares about me."

As they took their seats at the bell's ringing, Aria thought about the conversation she and Derek had the other day regarding their relationship. Derek's sudden proposal was briefly brought up and shortly after the two agreed to never speak of it again. Aria knew this may not be the best way to handle this, but neither she nor Derek were the type of people that would spend hours discussing exactly where their romance stood. By standing by her side in Evalius, Derek has shown her that he cares and that was all Aria needed.

The moment class began Myrtle was met with similar complaints as Vanessa's about why they still have classes after exams were over.

Myrtle merely responded with, "If you don't wish to be here than by all means you can leave. I won't do anything to stop you though you might find yourself in trouble with Principal Whiteman if you attempt such an act."

Some students laughed while others just grumbled. Sitting beside each other, Aria and Derek exchanged grins.

"There is something I wish to talk with you before the break," Myrtle said, as she pulled out a folder from the file cabinet.

Aria frowned. Myrtle was not planning on giving them homework over the winter break, was she? Aria noticed the concerned expressions of several of her classmates that seemed to wonder the same thing.

Myrtle caught on to their worried looks. "Relax, I have no intention of giving you work to do over the holidays. This is just something for you to think about. I found an interesting assignment from Mrs. Norbert only for this class and wanted to pass it back to you. It appears the question was would you be willing to die for someone you love. Over the break I just want you to look over your responses and when we come back we will discuss the matter in more depth."

Aria had long since forgotten about that assignment. She recalled having so much difficulty thinking of what to write and being so irritated with Derek for giving Mrs. Norbert the idea in the first place.

The moment Myrtle handed back all the papers and declared the remainder of the class to be a free period, Ian turned around and asked, "So, what did you guys put?"

Aria held up the paper rereading her words in disbelief. "I wrote no because I value my own life and would just simply move on with it after my love passed away. Mrs. Norbert wrote in response that I my willingness to go on without my loved one makes me a strong independent woman. Funny, I really did not feel strong and independent at the time."

"Wow," Kendal commented. "I think it's safe to say you've have a change in heart since then." She turned her eyes to Derek. "So what did you write? Would you die for Aria?"

"Okay, first let me just say this was before Aria and I started dating," Derek began, holding his hand up as he looked at what he wrote.

Aria could not help but smile as she replayed the conversation she had with Derek last fall over this matter, and she persisted, "Come on Derek, just read it."

"Alright fine," Derek gave in, "I wrote no because I would never get that hung up on a woman. Mrs. Norbert wrote back saying that might change once I meet the right woman."

Aria grinned at the irony of Derek's response, then speculated aloud, "I wonder if anyone wrote yes."

"I did," Ian declared, proudly.

"Yeah right." Derek held out his hand, unconvinced. "Let me see."

"Look." Ian pointed at his paragraph. "First word, yes."

"Did you write why?" Kendal asked him, with a raised eyebrow, but still smiling.

Ian took back his paper. "I wrote I would because…" his voice grew softer as his eyes scrutinized his words. "Because I figured if I let you die alone you would just haunt me for the rest of my life anyway."

Kendal put her hand over her mouth unable to contain her laughter. "Oh my god! I can't believe you felt that way!"

"I can. You probably would have too," Derek responded, jokingly, to Kendal and then asked, "So what did Mrs. Norbert say to that?"

Ian briefly glanced back at his paper. "She wrote she understands and her husband would probably do the same thing. She also says I should look into myself and be sure that I know what I feel for the one I love." He paused and added, "I think I know that better now then I did back then."

"I think we've all grown quite a bit since then," Aria commented and then turned over to the one person who has yet to answer. "Okay Kendal, your turn. What did you write?"

Kendal glanced awkwardly at her paper still lying on her desk. "I'd rather not say. It sounds pretty bad."

"We could have guessed that," Derek jested.

"Derek!" Aria slapped his arm playfully, and then turned back. "Come on, Kendal. We all shared what we wrote. Now, it's your turn."

"Okay, fine." Kendal snatched the sheet and quickly read, "I put no because I am too important in this world." She paused, dropping the paper back on her desk. "I cannot believe I actually wrote that."

"Oh, come on," Aria consoled. "When you think about it, it's not much different than what I put, just a little more blunt. What did Mrs. Norbert write to that?"

Kendal turned her head to look at her paper. "She wrote it sounds like I have big goals in life and am willing to work hard to achieve them." She paused, and then added. "Wow, Mrs. Norbert's just like you, Aria. She can find something nice to say about a person no matter how terrible they are."

"Oh, you're not terrible," Aria said in a comforting tone. "Besides, I'm sure most people put no."

"Yeah, unless they're afraid of their girlfriend's ghost," Derek chimed in, jokingly.

"Hey, I'm not the one that needed my girlfriend to slay the dragon for me," Ian retorted, grinning.

Derek opened his mouth for another comeback, but Aria interjected, "Hey guys, lets not talk about slaying dragons while we're in high school, okay? If people hear us they are going to think we're crazy."

As both the boys nodded, another student asked Myrtle, "So what exactly is our next assignment after the break? Are we going to write a paper on whether or not we would die for someone?"

"It's possible," Myrtle answered, vaguely. "Though there's actually more to what we will be discussing. What I want you to think about over the holidays is not only would whether you would be willing to die for a romantic love interest but also consider whether or not you would risk your life for anyone you care about."

Aria raised her hand. "May I ask you something, Ms. Malone?" As Myrtle nodded she continued, "Would you risk your life for someone you cared about?"

"Interesting you should ask, Miss Rosenberg. Let's see, would I risk my life for someone I cared about…" Myrtle gazed deeply into Aria's eyes, and then leaned back in her chair and shrugged. "No. Probably not."

A few students giggled while Aria and Derek once again exchanged smirks.

Myrtle then turned her glance to the rest of the class. "You see, class? Honestly is much appreciated. No matter what you decide to write on any possible paper regarding this topic, it won't affect your grade."

Once the bell rang, Ian turned around and asked, "Did she just flat out lie and then lecture us about honesty?"

Aria sighed, but still smiled. "I think so. Only Myrtle."

After their final class period, Aria grabbed her backpack and coat and met up with her friends just outside the building to say goodbye before leaving for Galatia.

"Hey, so we should all get together over the break," Kendal suggested, as Aria walked up to join the group.

"Yeah, that would be fun," Vanessa pretended to consider. "Except for I'm grounded for most of the break. Aren't you? I mean, we didn't get home until 2 am that night."

Kendal shook her head and shrugged. "I just told my mom I was desperate to lose the weight she wanted me to so I went to 24 Hour Fitness and did a long hard core work-out and stopped by a shop open all night and bought a new dress on the way home. It explained both the gown Argarion gave me and why I was all sweaty and gross."

Vanessa gaped at Kendal with her mouth open. "Are you kidding? So she didn't even care that you came home after midnight without calling?"

"Yeah," Aria chimed in just as surprised. "My parents know the truth and I still got in trouble. They tend to get upset when I sneak off to another world without telling them."

Kendal just sighed. "My mom was actually impressed with me for doing a long work-out, and I told her my phone died so I couldn't call."

"Unbelievable!" Vanessa ranted. "You always get away with everything!"

"Hey, calm down." Walter put his hands on her shoulders from behind. "I got in trouble too. After the fight I had with Dean and, well the other night, my parents are starting to think I have this dark side and I'm just using good grades to cover it."

"Wow, they make it sound like you could turn into this mad scientist or super villain," Vanessa commented while everyone laughed, and then added, "But still, I actually got away with the party that night and then it's when I decide to do the right thing, that's when I get in trouble. It seems so unfair."

Walter just shrugged. "That's karma for you."

"You don't even believe in karma!" Vanessa snapped.

Walter sighed and said, "Well, due to recent events, I'm actually considering rethinking all my beliefs."

The six of them continued to chat about how they all got grounded, except for Kendal. When Aria spotted Myrtle waiting for her, she said goodbye to her friends and went to meet up with her. She waved to her parents, who had driven up to the school just to make sure Aria was really leaving with Myrtle and not sneaking off to the other world by herself. She wondered if they were aware that Myrtle was indeed the same fairy that once tried to kill her. If not, Aria had no intention of bringing that up.

Once they entered the other world and rode a carriage to the castle, Aria asked Myrtle, "My parents, the king and queen I mean, know that you are the one that saved us, right?"

Myrtle nodded as they walked though the gates. "After we took you all home that night, Adora and I came back to explain everything to your parents and the other fairies. I am afraid though, my sisters will likely still see me as evil."

"That's ridiculous," Aria commented with slight bitterness in her tone. "You are most definitely not evil anymore."

Myrtle smiled. "Well, I'm glad you at least think so."

Upon walking into the grand hall, Aria was warmly greeted by King Richard and Queen Gretel. She noticed most people smiled at her while glancing cautiously at Myrtle. The other fairies then appeared with Verna up front, who waved her causing chains to appear around Myrtle's wrists.

Verna then walked up before the king and queen, bowing. "Your Majesties. Do not fear. We will take care of the witch."

"Wait! What is going on?" Aria demanded, exchanging horrified glances between Myrtle and the other fairies.

"Aria, it's okay," Myrtle said softly, not appearing at all surprise by the circumstance.

"Myrtle has been sentenced to death for an attempt on your life, Princess Aria," Verna explained, sternly.

Aria found herself shouting, "Myrtle was the one that saved us all in Evalius! You can't put her to death after that!"

"She no doubt only did it for her own vengeance," Verna declared, turning to face Myrtle. "Is that not right?"

"I will admit the idea of getting revenge on Lord Argarion was intriguing," Myrtle agreed.

Aria let out a heavy irritated breath. Was Myrtle going to even try to save her own life? Then she thought of that night. Myrtle and Adora had gone to talk secretly. Did they already know this would happen?

Queen Gretel spoke up, exchanging looks between both her husband and the head fairy. "We have to consider that if it were not for Myrtle, our daughter would likely be dead now."

Aria gazed up at her mother in gratitude.

Verna still appeared displeased. "There is nowhere for her to go in this world. If we release her she cannot rejoin the Sisterhood of the Fairies."

"Who says I want to," Myrtle muttered.

Aria asked, "Why can't she rejoin?"

"Because she has once again committed murder," Verna explained, swiftly. "Since she has rescued you, we could have forgiven the last killings since they were done in self defense, but this time she did it out of vengeance."

Breathing heavily, Aria looked down as she began to understand. "Wait, Myrtle didn't…"

"Aria, no! Just let it go," Myrtle interrupted, urgently, but Aria ignored her.

Aria faced her parents. "Father, Mother," She turned her head. "Verna, Myrtle did not kill Lord Argarion." She paused to inhale a deep breath. "I did."

Both King Richard and Queen Gretel gasped while Verna turned around furiously to face Myrtle and Adora. "This is not what I was told!"

"I'm sorry Verna," Adora pleaded. "I did not know what would happen if people found out the princess took a life since its never happened before so Myrtle and I agreed to tell you, as well as her parents, this story."

"You are right," Verna agreed looking unsure where to go from here. "A princess taking a life is not as severe as a fairy doing so, but still, princesses are not meant to kill."

"I see nothing wrong here," King Richard declared, vocally. "My daughter has slain an evil man. Is it not our goal to defeat evil? The princess should be known as a hero amongst our people."

"We still do not know that the people will accept her as their queen after this," Verna uttered, more quietly.

King Richard opened his mouth but Aria spoke first. "Maybe it's better that way. I mean I wasn't raised here. I know now I think a lot differently than most people here. I don't think I will be good as queen."

"I disagree," Adora spoke up gazing at Aria sincerely. "I think because of that you may be just what this kingdom needs. You are the kind of person that values all life and have the willingness to analyze a person as a whole, no matter their crime, before giving them a sentence." She turned to Verna. "I'm sure there is something we can do to convince the people that despite everything Princess Aria would make a good queen."

Verna sighed. "We do not yet know how the people will react but surely they will at the very least listen to us." She turned to Aria. "In the end, Princess Aria, the decision will be yours."

Aria felt her head spinning. She had no idea how to respond. This decision she had to make now would forever set her future.

Queen Gretel looked at her daughter sympathetically. "I think after traumatic experience Princess Aria has recently endured, she should not be burdened with such a great decision just yet. She should finish her education in her world as planned with frequent visits here and when she is ready she can decide. Is that okay with you, darling?"

Aria nodded gratefully, but looked back to Verna and asked, "What about Myrtle?"

Verna gazed up at the king who said, "I think my daughter should be the one who determines Myrtle's fate." He then looked down at her and asked, "Princess Aria?"

"Um…" Aria tried to think quickly remembering Myrtle did not wish to rejoin the fairies. "I think if its okay with her, Myrtle should come back to my world and continue on as a teacher in my school. That seemed to be working out just fine before."

"As you command, Princess." Verna pointed her wand at Myrtle making the chains disappear.

Aria let out a breath of relief the moment Myrtle was released. She could not believe the difficultly she had convincing everyone not to execute the heroic fairy. Do these people really believe everything is this black and white? Where their minds so rigid to the fact that people can indeed change? Perhaps Adora was right. Maybe Aria could indeed do some good for the kingdom of Galatia as their queen.


	30. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

"So is it really okay if I take Vanessa and Kendal to Galatia for a sleepover even though I'm technically still grounded?" Aria asked her parents in disbelief.

Elizabeth smiled while Ted jested, "You can consider it time off for good behavior."

"You make it sound like I'm a prisoner," Aria muttered, as her parents both laughed. "You know Vanessa's punishment ended a few days ago and her parents don't even know the truth."

"You're right, Aria," Elizabeth replied, as she continued to fold laundry. "Her parents were merely worried that Vanessa could end up in a dangerous situation. We, however, knew for a fact that you were in grave danger." She paused, taking in a deep breath as she dropped the clothes and looked her daughter in the eye. "Aria, you have no idea what you put your father and me through that night. You disappear until two in the morning and then we hear that you were in this god awful kingdom ruled by a man that sucks the lives out of young girls?"

"I know, I'm sorry, Mom, Dad" Aria stated, sincerely. "I just panicked when I thought of Kendal there. I couldn't stand the thought of her dying there so I just had to act quickly."

Elizabeth sighed. "I understand, sweetie. But you should have gone to the fairies for help before blindly marching in there."

"We did call Myrtle," Aria pointed out, and then mumbled, "Well, Vanessa did."

"Yes, and thank God for that," Ted agreed, returning his eyes to the paper he held. "Otherwise you would all be dead."

"I know." Aria sighed. "I'm sorry, but I did try talking to the other fairies before and they didn't seem to want to help unless I was the one in danger."

"Aria, you are a princess," Elizabeth reminded her. "All you had to order was order their assistance and they would have had no choice but to help."

"I guess I didn't think of that," Aria muttered, learning back on the couch.

The moment the doorbell rang, Aria rushed to answer it, seeing that it was Vanessa. The two hugged each other before Aria opened the door wider for Vanessa to come in.

"So when are we leaving?" Vanessa asked eagerly. "I can't believe we are actually sleeping over in your castle!"

Aria glanced at the clock. "Adora should be here in half an hour. Hopefully Kendal will get here before that."

"Oh, right, Kendal," Vanessa muttered as she dropped her bag down by the front door. "Do we absolutely have to invite her along?"

"Yes," Aria stated, firmly. "Kendal's only been to Evalius and she needs to see the good part of the other world too. Besides, I thought you two were working on being friends again."

"Yes, we are, and I think we've been doing a lot better lately."

Aria raised her eyebrow and asked, "Have you even seen Kendal over the break?"

"Nope, that's the beauty of it," Vanessa declared as she took her coat off. "I think the time apart has done us good."

"Well, you are going to have to get use to seeing each other. School does start again next week," Aria reminded her.

"Are you sure a sleepover is such a good idea for us?" Vanessa asked, skeptically. "I mean, what if we just can't get along? We'll be stuck with each other all night."

Aria crossed her arms with determination. "It's a big castle. If worse comes to worse, we'll just have you two on opposites sides of the castle and I'll take turns hanging out with each of you. God knows we had to do that kind of thing a lot when we were kids."

Once again, the doorbell rang. This time it was Kendal.

"Speaking of the devil," Vanessa mumbled.

Aria raised her finger as she walked over to the door. "Hey, be nice. I know you can do it."

Aria greeted Kendal just as warmly as she greeted Vanessa with an embrace. Kendal set her bag down, took off her coat, and walked over to Vanessa. For a moment the two appeared as though they might hug but then decided to simply wave and say hi. Aria sighed. At least it was a friendly gesture.

Shortly after, Adora arrived to escort the three of them to Galatia.

"Goodbye, girls," Elizabeth said, giving Aria a hug. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather stay here?"

"Come on now, Elizabeth," Ted spoke up with a grin. "They don't want to stay in Nebraska. They would be bored without any dragons to slay or evil overlords to defeat."

The girls laughed as they followed Adora to her dark blue SUV.

"It's too bad the boys can't come," Kendal commented as the car drove off.

"Yeah, well Derek's punishment was just lifted and I don't think it would look good if he immediately went off and spent the night with his girlfriend," Aria pointed out, though still wishing he were here.

"Same with Walter," Vanessa agreed. "He's still grounded for another couple weeks. It's partly because of the fight too."

Kendal sighed. "That sucks. Ian was only grounded for a few days. He said his parents weren't really that upset with him. They told him they understand that he's young and just wants to have fun. Too bad what we were doing was not at all fun."

"Amen to that," Vanessa and Aria both muttered in agreement.

Adora brought them to the portal and the four of them entered the other world. Aria took Kendal's hand as they stepped into the fountain since this would be her first time entering conscious.

"Wow, this place is incredible!" Kendal gasped, her eyes roaming about the wonders the world had to offer. "It nothing like I remember from that night."

"Yes, well this is the good part of this world," Adora explained with a smile as they entered the carriage that awaited them. "Everything here is bright and colorful, and you will likely feel cheerful most of the time."

Vanessa then looked at Kendal and grinned. "Yeah, like us spending the night in the same place suddenly doesn't seem so bad, does it?"

Kendal stared down as she considered this. "Oh my God, it actually doesn't anymore. Weird."

Aria leaned in closer to Adora and whispered, "You were right!"

Aria recalled the other when Adora came to visit and suggested the sleepover. When she expressed concern of her friend's difficulty with getting along, Adora told her it was possible that the gleeful atmosphere in Galatia may make them less prone to fighting.

Once they arrived, they departed the carriage making their way to the castle, where Aria's parents waited to greet them.

Aria went up and embraced her parents, and then turned around to her friends. "Mother, Father. You already met Vanessa, my life long friend."

They smiled, and Queen Gretel replied, "It's nice to see you again, dear."

"And this is Kendal," Aria continued. "She's a close friend of mine too."

"You're the one who survived even after be chosen as Lord Argarion's bride," King Richard commented, intrigued. "You could indeed become very famous for that."

"Now she's never going to leave," Vanessa muttered and Kendal nudged her.

The girls spent most of the evening in Aria's room trying on her many gowns. Aria reflected on how the three of them would play dress up with various princess and other fairy tale costumes. Vanessa and Kendal would always fight over who would be the princess and who would be the wicked witch while Aria always either played the fairy godmother or the queen mother. They would use Barbie Ken as the prince.

"So have you decided whether you want to someday be queen of this kingdom?" Vanessa asked, as she gazed into the mirror to see how she looked in the light blue dress with silver lining she tried on.

"I don't know," Aria replied, thoughtfully. "I mean I was born here and technically I am royalty, but I have absolutely no leadership skills. I really have a hard time picturing myself ruling a kingdom."

"Didn't you lead everyone to Evalius to rescue me?' Kendal asked, as she slipped on some golden bracelets.

Aria thought back to that night. "Actually, I told everyone to stay out of it and no one listened. And then earlier, I asked for help no one listened then either. I really don't think I'm that much of an authority figure."

"That's the problem, you asked," Kendal explained. "If you want something done you need to order it. Since you're royalty you can get away with it."

"Wow, you seem to have a better grasps on how to act like royalty than I do," Aria commented leaning back on her bed.

"Of course she does," Vanessa added as she sat down beside Aria. "She's been bossing people around her entire life."

"Okay, that is not true," Kendal retorted turning from the mirror to face Vanessa.

"I guess you're right," Vanessa gave in pretentiously. "I haven't known you your entire life, but I can vouch for ages five and up."

"There's a difference between being bossy and having the initiative to take control when needed to," Kendal defended, hotheadedly. "Besides, at least I'm not the one who needs anger management."

"What do mean I need anger management? When have I ever lost my temper?"

Kendal put her hands on her hips and looked up. "Um, let's see, where do I begin? Back in eighth grade in cheerleader, you got into a fight with Marcy over how to do a certain move, which ended with you slamming your pom poms against the ground and storming out of gym. Also, recently at the mall there was that fight you had with Ian, which I think everyone on that floor heard. Oh, and even more recently, when I woke up in Evalius, you immediately jump down my throat for not listening to you, and…"

"Okay, that's enough," Aria interjected before this could get any worse. "Let's just say Kendal has good leadership skills, which sometimes involves her telling people what to do and Vanessa, well is not afraid to speak her mind when she needs to."

They both just stared at her for a moment before Kendal asked, "Was one of your fairy gifts the ability to make anyone sound nice no matter what?"

Vanessa then answered for her, "No, I think that comes naturally for her." She then gazed up thoughtfully and added, "You know, there's a life lesson we can all learn from our recent experience in Evalius?"

As Aria and Kendal looked at her curiously, Vanessa continued, "Lord Argarion's first chose Myrtle to be his bride a long time ago, and later he chose you, Kendal, and then he was willing to settle for me, but he never once went after Aria."

'You know, you're right. He must not go after nice girls." Kendal agreed and then turned her head to Aria. "Maybe more people should be like you, Aria."

"I don't know about that," Aria murmured. "Nothing would ever get done and places like this would not have a good strong leader."

"You don't know what you will be like as queen yet," Vanessa pointed out. "Between now and then, you might develop the leadership skills you need to be queen."

"Besides, very few sixteen year olds are ready to make the that kind of decision for their future," Kendal added. "I think you should think about it for the next couple years and then make your final decision after you graduate."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Aria uttered, softly, as she agreed waiting to make her final decision sounded good to her.

The three fell silent for a few moments, continuing to try out various jewelry and make-up.

Vanessa then broke it by commenting, "You know, Kendal, as Lord Argarion's most recent bride you might have a claim to the throne of Evalius."

"Believe me, I have absolutely no desire to go back there," Kendal replied, darkly, but soon lightened up as she thought about it. "Unless, being royalty means I get gifts from Aria's fairies. Having natural beauty like that would be nice."

"I think you should try asking for humility," Vanessa muttered.

Aria then commented, "Trust me, Kendal, that gift would drive you crazy."

Kendal turned around, lifting her eyebrow. "Why would looking perfect all the time drive me crazy."

"Because you could never change your appearance no matter what," Aria informed her. "You would always have fair skin that cannot tan, and long hair that you could never get cut and probably can't color either. Since you love to get tans and you change your hair every other week, yeah, I don't think you would ever be content with this gift."

Kendal gazed down at her hair she had just recently colored a soft light brown. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"So what is going to happen to Evalius now that there's no leader?" Vanessa asked.

Aria sighed. "To be honest, I really don't know. Adora told me the fairies were going to keep an eye on the kingdom so no one can go in or out of it. Now, the whole place is pretty much just chaos."

Kendal looked over to her concerned. "They're not going to rebuild it into a better place to live."

Aria shook her head dolefully. "Adora says they can't because it's still an evil driven kingdom."

"That's so sad," Vanessa commented. "But at least that means since Galatia is driven by good, nothing bad will happen to you as long as you live here."

"I guess," Aria replied letting out another heavy breath. "Though I'm not sure I will ever get use to how things work in this world."

"You'll probably get use to it once you've lived here long enough," Kendal pointed out, optimistically.

As she leaned back on her bed, Aria closed her eyes and a moment trying to picture herself living here permanently as queen but she still found she could not. She had a feeling she would not be able to until she actually did move here for good.

"You know what, I just realized something," Vanessa uttered aloud suddenly, snapping Aria out of her daydream.

"What's that," Aria asked as she sat back up.

"Edmund," Vanessa responded darkly, glancing at Kendal. "He's still out there, isn't he? You were probably the last one to see him."

Kendal sighed as she sat down in a golden fabric chair across Aria's bed. "Yeah, I guess I was. I wonder what he's up to now."

"I don't think he'll cause any more trouble, unless he finds someone else to work for," Aria stated, trying to sound sure.

"Still, I wish I had known how bad he really was at the time," Kendal muttered darkly. "Then I would have something far worse than just spraying pepper spray in his eyes."

"At least you tried to fight him off." Aria reflected on her own date with Edmund. "On my last date with him, I just walked right up to that spinning wheel and pricked my finger."

"Yeah but you didn't have people constantly trying to warn you that Edmund was a bad guy," Kendal denoted sincerely.

Vanessa then commented, "Well, I did point out to her that it seemed strange how fast Edmund wanted to move forward in their relationship, but Aria didn't listen to me."

"Oh, really." Kendal turned her head to Vanessa, smirking. "If you wanted to end their relationship you should have just kissed him."

There was a brief moment of silence before the three of them burst out laughing.

Vanessa sat up rubbing her eyes, which had watered up from the laughter. "Wow, I still can't believe I did that, and at the time, it seemed like a brilliant idea."

"Yeah, it's amazing how something can seem like such a good plan at the time but then later looking back on it you wonder 'what was I thinking.'" Aria reflected back when she lied to Derek about the ball and how that later blew up in her face. "Believe me, I know."

Vanessa let out a sigh. "I wonder if that's how Derek feels about his proposal to you, Aria."

"Wait, what?" Kendal exclaimed, gawking horrified at both Aria and Vanessa. "Derek proposed? Why don't I know about this?"

"It's really not what you think," Aria explained, calmly. "He only wanted me to stay here so I would be safe from Evalius."

"What was your answer?" Kendal demanded.

Aria gazed up reflecting on that moment. "I said we would not get married until at least after high school."

"Wait," Vanessa interjected turning to face Aria. "You didn't just tell him no?"

"Well, I guess not in so many words," Aria answered. "But I meant…"

"She told him after high school," Kendal indicated before Aria could finish. "Which is kind of like an implied yes. When you look at it that way, Derek and Aria are engaged."

"Oh, my God, you're right!" Vanessa agreed, excitedly. "When you look at it that way, they could be considered engaged!"

"No, no, no!" Aria stammered, rising to her feet, while Kendal and Vanessa both laughed. "There is no way that counts! Derek and I are _not_ engaged!"

"Well, you might want to clear that up with him," Kendal said, still in giggles.

"I can't," Aria protested. "I promised Derek we never talk about it again, which means that it, in fact, doesn't count as an actual marriage proposal."

"I guess that's true," Vanessa considered more seriously, "But if you ended up in a life threatening situation again, he might decide it does count and try to use it to get you to move here again."

"Oh God, that could actually happen, couldn't it?" Aria distressed, slamming her hand against her head.

"You've been in that kind of situation twice, now," Vanessa reminded her. "I would clear things up with him just to be on the safe side, oh, and you might want to do it sooner rather than later."

Aria sighed as she slumped back down on her bed. It seemed likely that once again, she and Derek would have to deal with issues in their relationship. What Aria could not believe was that this time the fault seemed to lie with her as she had great difficulty with just simply saying no, even when raged. Letting out yet another deep breath, Aria thought in disbelief that just when her relationship with Derek began to finally make sense, all of the sudden it rose up in mystification. Aria supposed that as long as she remained in her world that was just the way her life was going to be.

_The End_


End file.
